North Country Rep. Stefanik requests all inmates be tested for COVID-19 before transfers

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has sent a bipartisan letter to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and United States Marshal Service (USMS) requesting that all inmates be tested for COVID-19 and confirmed negative before they are transferred to any Bureau of Prison quarantine location, which includes FCI Ray Brook.

Currently, the BOP is only symptom screening and moving inmates who are asymptomatic with COVID-19, despite their ability transmit the virus to BOP staff.

“Throughout this entire public health crisis, I have advocated for our local corrections officers and prison staff who have been, in many cases, directly exposed to COVID-19,” said Congresswoman Stefanik.

“I have worked at the federal level to support and protect our corrections officers, and now I am calling on the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Marshall Service to implement inmate testing to ensure that inmates and corrections officers are both protected from coronavirus. I will continue to work with my colleagues to protect those who work within the prisons system, and their surrounding communities, from COVID-19.”

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