More than two dozen inmates and staff at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past month, according to Bureau of Prisons data released Thursday.Â
The cases include 25 inmates and three staff at the medium-security U.S. Penitentiary who were reported to be infected with the coronavirus, as noted on the agency s website, which tracks active cases.Â
Lompoc prison officials notified Santa Barbara County health officials about the outbreak on Dec. 8 and promptly instituted testing and infection control measures, according to Paige Batson, deputy director for the county Public Health Department.
The outbreak comes more than six months after a surge in coronavirus cases infected more than 900 inmates and staff at the Federal Correctional Institution earlier in the year. Four Lompoc inmates have died from the disease.Â