New Jersey to begin testing inmates, corrections workers

New Jersey will begin to test all its inmates and Department of Corrections staff for coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy’s office said Friday.

The testing will be done along with Rutgers University’s Correctional Healthcare and Accurate Diagnostics Lab and use the university’s new saliva test. Current tests are done using invasive nose or throat swabs. The saliva test requires only spitting into a tube, Rutgers has said.

About 8,000 staff and 18,000 inmates will undergo testing, according to the governor. It’s unclear when the testing will begin.

New Jersey has about 118,000 positive cases and has had 7,228 deaths.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness or death.