On March 19, Aubrey Melder, a Senior Officer at the federal prison in Oakdale, Louisiana, transported a sick prisoner to the local community hospital for tests.

He spent six hours in close contact with the ailing man. His only protection was gloves.

1/ https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/04/03/federal-prisons-agency-put-staff-in-harm-s-way-of-coronavirus?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sprout&utm_source=twitter">https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/04/0...

Two days later, the prisoner& #39;s test came back positive for COVID-19. Melder expected he& #39;d have to go into quarantine.

But within a day, the Bureau of Prison’s chief health officer in Washington ordered him back on the job, according to an email reviewed by our reporters.

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The email directive, shared with The Marshall Project by a corrections worker, helps explain why COVID-19 has been surging through the federal prison system.

3/ https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/04/03/federal-prisons-agency-put-staff-in-harm-s-way-of-coronavirus?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sprout&utm_source=twitter">https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/04/0...

The federal prison in Oakdale is now gripped by the pandemic. At least 5 people have died.

4/ https://www.kplctv.com/2020/04/03/fifth-inmate-oakdale-federal-prison-dies-covid-/">https://www.kplctv.com/2020/04/0...

One of them, Patrick Jones, was serving a 27-year sentence for selling drugs. He had spent much of the past year fighting for his freedom under the First Step Act. @MauriceChammah wrote this obituary for The Marshall Project.

5/ https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/04/03/coronavirus-ended-his-shot-at-a-second-chance?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sprout&utm_source=twitter">https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/04/0...