Federal judge requires vaccines for California prison staff

Vaccine required after an outbreak kills inmates and an officer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday ordered that all employees entering California prisons be vaccinated or have a religious or medical exemption.

He is trying to head off another coronavirus outbreak like the one that killed 28 inmates and a correctional officer at San Quentin State Prison last year.

Inmates who want in-person visits or who work outside prisons, including inmate firefighters, must also be fully vaccinated or have a religious or medical exemption.

The prison guard’s union said it may appeal the mandate.

More than 50,000 California inmates have been infected and at least 240 have died since the start of the pandemic.