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California will release 8,000 prisoners in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 inside state lockups.

“These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff,” California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary, Ralph Diaz told Reuters.

Only prisoners with less than a year remaining on their sentences will be eligible for release. Those with violent rap sheets or convictions for sex crimes will be excluded from the program.

As the US continues to face tens of thousands of new cases daily, prisons have been particularly hard hit. In California’s 35 state prisons, nearly 2,400 people have tested positive for the virus.

Across the country, states have been releasing non-violent offenders for similar safety concerns, including Michael Cohen. President Trump’s disgraced former attorney was later ordered back to the clink after he was busted dining out with his wife at an posh Upper East Side restaurant last week.