CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Twenty-nine additional coronavirus cases have been confirmed at the Huttonsville Correctional Center, in which 25 positive cases involve inmates.
Gov. Jim Justice on Friday ordered testing for the remaining inmates at the Randolph County facility, which has an incarcerated population of around 1,030 people. Two inmates and four staff members also recently tested positive.
According to the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, the inmates were among the 40 individuals in the housing unit with the first inmate who tested positive. The test results of a second inmate came back positive on Wednesday.
“No other inmates are exhibiting fevers or other symptoms,” the department noted in a release.
All other inmates are medically screened daily.
Inmates who have tested positive and are in good or fair condition have been placed in medical isolation at the prison.
The West Virginia National Guard tested 203 employees on Wednesday and 39 others on Thursday. Three of the latest cases among staff came from testing by the National Guard, while the remaining latest test is the result of contact tracing conducted by local health officials.
The department said there is a connection between three positive cases among staff; one employee shares an office with a fourth worker who was “in close proximity” to the first inmate with a confirmed case.
Justice additionally directed the West Virginia National Guard to sanitize the housing area, dining hall and the offices of employees who have tested positive.