Coronavirus Latest: 17 Confirmed Cases Of COVID-19 Within Maryland Correctional System, Including 3 Inmates
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Seventeen cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed within the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services system as of Friday morning, the department said.
Among the cases are three inmates and four correctional officers.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
- Coronavirus Resources: How To Get Help In Maryland
- Coronavirus In Maryland: What We Know
- Coronavirus-Related Closings
- Latest coronavirus stories from WJZ
The cases include:
- Jessup Correctional Institution: 8 (two inmates, six contractual employees)
- Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore: 2 (one correctional officer and one contractual employee)
- Division of Parole and Probation: 2 (one supervisor in Hagerstown, one agent in Baltimore)
- Jail Industries Building in Baltimore: 1 (one contractual employee)
- Dorsey Run Correctional Facility in Jessup: 1 (one contractual employee)
- Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup: 1 (one correctional officer)
- Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown: 1 (one correctional officer)
- Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup: 1 (one inmate)
The agency said inmates who test positive are put in isolation for at least 14 days and employees who test positive are quarantined for at least two weeks and must be medically cleared to return to work.
In addition, temperature checks are being required at every entry point into each facility.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- 'I'm Terrified': Correctional Officer Fears More Coronavirus Cases In Maryland Prisons
- Coronavirus Latest: Mosby Continues Push For Release Of Non-Violent Inmates As First Cases Of COVID-19 Reported In Correctional Facilities
- Hogan, Mosby At Odds Over Plan To Release Non-Violent Offenders To Protect Them From Coronavirus
To help address the pandemic, Maryland Correctional Enterprises is manufacturing supplies the department and others need, including masks, gowns and face shields.
Department Secretary Robert Green said to-date, the facility has made 4,000 masks, 5,000 face shields, dozens of cases of bottles of hand sanitizer and gowns.
On Thursday, AFSCME union president Patrick Moran told WJZ the officer at the Metropolitan Transition Center had contact with at least seven other correctional officers.
Earlier this week, a correctional officer at the Jessup Correctional Institution told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren they were concerned the coronavirus may spread wildly behind bars.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
