Missouri prisons to install air purifiers, sprayers to help slow spread of COVID-19
With hundreds of infected inmates, the Missouri Department of Corrections on Tuesday announced it is implementing new measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19 in its prisons.
More than 1,400 ionization generators will soon be installed across the state’s prisons, supervision centers and other facilities. The air purifying devices will “destroy 99.4% of COVID-19 within 30 minutes,” the department said in a news release.
Prison officials also said they are obtaining electrostatic sprayers, which will be used to cover surfaces with a disinfecting mist that kills COVID-19 and other pathogens. The department said it already has 20; another 20 are on the way.
The department, which said infections in prisons are declining, is now also conducting its own wastewater testing for COVID-19 to help identify and isolate those who have been infected. It began monitoring inmate waste in July through partnerships with the Department of Natural Resources and the University of Missouri.
As of Tuesday, the virus has killed 36 prisoners and four staff members across Missouri. Of nearly 72,000 tests performed, 455 infections are considered active among inmates while 129 are active among staff, according to state data.
More than 4,300 inmates and 1,600 staffers have recovered from the virus.
