San Quentin prison coronavirus outbreak ‘tragic, predictable and unacceptable’: Sen. Scott Wiener

San Quentin State Prison in Marin County is seen in an undated photo. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Posted: Jun 26, 2020 / 12:02 PM PDT

Updated: Jun 26, 2020 / 12:02 PM PDT

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The number of infections at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County continues to soar, with more than 500 inmates infected, officials said Thursday.

The pace at which infections have been detected at San Quentin has risen quickly. According to tallies released by Marin County, there were just 16 inmates at the prison who had tested positive on June 14, but 489 have been diagnosed since then.

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a statement this week that the outbreak at San Quentin occurred after 121 inmates were transferred from the California Institution for Men in Chino late last month, none of whom had been tested up to a month prior to the transfer.

“The outbreak at San Quentin is at once tragic, predictable and unacceptable. The fact that 121 men were transferred to San Quentin from Chino without being tested is stunning,” Wiener said.