Nearly 500 inmates at a federal prison in Mississippi have tested positive for COVID-19, currently the highest number of inmate cases among federal prisons nationwide, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Federal Correctional Institution Yazoo City's medium-security prison has 472 inmates and six staff members with COVID-19, according to recent numbers from the Bureau of Prisons. The medium-security prison has a population of 1,425.
The medium-security prison is part of a federal complex that also includes low and maximum-security prison facilities.
At the high-security facility, 98 inmates and four staff members were reported having COVID-19, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Fifty inmates and five staff members are listed as positive for the coronavirus at the low-security facility.
The federal prison struggled with COVID-19 outbreaks at the onset of the pandemic. Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal said in April 2020 that the Yazoo City, Mississippi, prison was a hot spot for coronavirus.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the fall of 2020 to learn more about the bureau's response to COVID-19 in federal jails and prisons, eventually obtaining emails from Yazoo City and other federal prisons.
"My concerns have not been resolved. We are critically understaffed. We are breaking policy to complete our mission. A case could be made that we are violating the constitutional rights of our inmate population," one Yazoo City federal prison employee wrote, according to the ACLU.
Also in the news:
► More than 100 countries are on U.S. federal health officials’ list of destinations to avoid because of a high risk of COVID-19, including Australia, Israel, the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands.
► Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday that they will kill about 2,000 small animals, including hamsters, after several tested positive for the coronavirus at a pet store where an employee was also infected.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 67 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 854,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 333 million cases and over 5.5 million deaths. More than 209 million Americans – 63% – are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
📘 What we're reading: The world's 10 richest men doubled their wealth during the pandemic while 99% of incomes dropped, a new study says.
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How to order free COVID testing kits from the government to your home
Americans are now able to order free coronavirus tests on a new federal government website.
COVIDTests.gov was expected to start accepting orders on Wednesday, but an "Order free at-home tests" button was added Tuesday, which brings users to usps.com/covidtests to order four at-home free tests.
USA TODAY tested the site and got a message that "COVID-19 tests will start shipping in late January." The Postal Service will only send one set of four free at-home coronavirus tests to valid residential addresses, the site said.
A message was posted on the website Tuesday that noted the site is "up and running early so we can test the site before our official launch tomorrow. We have tests for every residential address in the U.S. Please check back tomorrow if you run into any unexpected issues."
Read more to learn about the free government tests and other tips to find at-home COVID tests.
— Kelly Tyko and Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY
Report: Justice Gorsuch refuses to wear a mask in the courtroom
Outside their usual docket of blockbuster constitutional controversies, Supreme Court justices are divided over something else: face masks.
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor has diabetes, which puts her at higher risk for a serious bout with COVID-19. In the fall, the Obama appointee was the only one of the nine justices to wear a mask in the courtroom where attendance is limited because of the coronavirus to the court, the attorneys and the Supreme Court press corps. As cases began to rise during the holiday season, Sotomayor said she did not feel safe near people who were unmasked.
Chief Justice John Roberts then asked everyone to wear masks in the courtroom, NPR reported. Everyone complied — except for Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Since Gorsuch, who sits next to Sotomayor on the bench, has refused to wear a mask, Sotomayor has been tuning into arguments remotely from her chambers at the Supreme Court building.
— Amy Nakamura, USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press
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