Nineteen more people incarcerated at the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport have tested positive for Covid-19, along with two additional staff members.
The new cases were detected in testing conducted on Thursday, bringing the total number of unique cases at the prison up to 164. All of the new cases came from one unit of the prison, according to a press release from the Department of Corrections.
Currently, just 37 inmate cases and six staff cases remain positive, as 100 additional people have been medically cleared to leave isolation at the Newport prison. There have been no Covid-related hospitalizations as part of the outbreak.
Everyone at the prison is being tested again today. The prison has been in full lockdown since the outbreak was detected on Feb. 25.
Rachel Feldman, corrections department spokesperson, said it is not yet known how the virus entered the prison, and how it spread once inside.
“We have not yet determined that complete link between the entrance and infection,” Feldman said. “Until we have a clear link, we’re not going to speculate, because every time we get a new positive case, whether incarcerated person or staff member, contact tracing is initiated all over again.”
The Newport prison houses about 340 inmates. The virus has been detected in four of the facility’s eight general population units.
Last week, eight men incarcerated at the facility brought court cases, asking to be released from the prison to avoid risk of infection from the outbreak sweeping through the prison. On Friday, a judge denied all eight bids.
Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury is also in full lockdown following several positive staff cases. Feldman said testing was done there over the weekend, with results expected in the next day or two.
All other state prisons are in modified lockdowns.
— Ellie French
