One local correctional facility sees more than 400 positive COVID cases

LEE COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) -

As COVID-19 cases continue to climb across the region and state some correctional facilities are seeing outbreaks.

The Lee Adjustment Facility an 866-bed medium-security facility in Beattyville, Kentucky has seen more than 430 inmates and nearly 30 staff test positive.

Scott Lockard, Public Health Director of the Kentucky River District Health Department, says facilities like this have guidelines from the CDC.

“Every facility has a COVID-19 plan and so obviously when people are identified with Covid they try to isolate them from other inmates in the facility and have Covid wings and so on,” said Lockard. “We’ve seen this with other prisons throughout the state that these facilities once it gets in part of the facility it’s really hard to restrict it there in that housing unit.”

Lockard also talks about how facilities like this usually work with the Department of Justice and the Department of Corrections to slow the spread.

“If they have a Covid positive wing and they have asymptomatic staff can they still allow those staff to work because those patients already have contracted COVID-19 they are already testing positive so there is no danger in further spread. So that is very much up to the Department of Corrections and Core Civic.”

Lockard says they continue to look forward.

"We are already talking about how we will disseminate this vaccine and work with the state department of public health and work with the federal government to get this out to our most vulnerable populations in our congregation facilities are very high on that list. "

Core Civic the company that runs the facility released a statement saying “CoreCivic is working hard to protect our employees, those entrusted to our care, and our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a Coronavirus Medical Action Plan in place at each of our facilities, which we’ve been working on since January.”

For the full statement click here.

For information pertaining to COVID-19 testing and data at Lee Adjustment Center should be directed to the Kentucky Department of Corrections visit https://corrections.ky.gov/facilities/pages/covid19.aspx

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