California is starting to require COVID-19 testing for workers at more prisons, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Tuesday.

Nose swab testing starts this week at San Quentin State Prison and California State Prison, Corcoran, according to a corrections department email.

The department has already instituted mandatory staff testing at Avenal State Prison, California Institution for Men, and California Institution for Women, according to the email.

The department is developing a testing plan for all of the state’s 34 prisons, corrections spokeswoman Dana Simas said in an email.

“CDCR understands that it is critically important to develop and implement a comprehensive staff-testing plan that involves testing staff at all CDCR’s institutions,” she said.

In addition to testing, the prisons screen all incoming workers for COVID-19 symptoms.

Across the state, 459 prison employees have tested positive, according to the corrections department. About half of them have returned to work.

At least two workers who tested positive have died, including a corrections officer from California Rehabilitation Center and a groundskeeper from Ironwood State Prison.

More than 3,000 inmates have tested positive, including 12 California Institution for Men inmates who died, according to the department.

The department has set up a frequently asked questions page with more details.

This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 10:39 AM.