At least 25 children in the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Virginia have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, citing officials from the Department of Juvenile Justice.
The big picture: Children in juvenile centers can face heightened risk from COVID-19 just as adults in federal and state prisons, which have acted as petri dishes for the virus in the U.S.
- Inmates face overcrowding and often unsanitary conditions that can make social distancing and recommended hygiene nearly impossible.
Driving the news: Lawyers have sought the mass release of minors with underlying health conditions and those who do not pose a danger to society from juvenile facilities in Texas, Maryland and Pennsylvania, the N.Y. Times reports.
Background: Data from China suggests children who have contracted COVID-19 will experience milder or different symptoms than adults, the CDC reports.
- Nearly 9,000 minors have contracted the virus across the U.S., while fewer than 20 have died as a result, the CDC reports.
Go deeper... UN: Millions of children at risk of poverty and malnutrition due to coronavirus
