As the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S., it seems prisons are getting the brunt of it. More than 1,300 inmates have tested positive for coronavirus at three facilities in Ohio, according to officials.
Mass testing is ongoing at the three facilities housing the prisoners: The Marion Correctional Institution, Pickaway Correctional Institution and Franklin Medical Center, according to CNN.
Prison officials are isolating inmates and using sanitation crews to disinfect common areas, said spokeswoman JoEllen Smith of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC).
Inmates who test positive are being separated from the general public, Smith said Saturday. Due to the situation, volunteer activities and visitations have been suspended and the department is working on alternative communication means for inmates.
Alternative options include one free video visit per week, two free phone calls per week and eight free emails per month, according to Smith.
In addition to disinfecting common areas, meal times have been reduced to twice daily but calories have been increased from 2,500 to 2,700, Smith said. Inmates have been told to sleep head to toe to help prevent further spreading of the virus.
The ODRC is also not accepting symptomatic inmates who arrive from county jails and is screening inmates who are being released, according to Smith.
Inmates coming in are being held in one area for a minimum of five weeks after they arrive so that they can be monitored for symptoms and separated from the existing inmate population, Smith said.
Melanie Amato, spokeswoman of the Ohio Department of Health, said officials decided to test all inmates and staff at the facilities starting Thursday and results have been coming back in stages.
Amato said 103 staff members also tested positive at Marion. One of those staff members died, and no additional details were immediately available on the death.
We’ll keep you posted on any updates, Roomies.
