Coronavirus Latest: 57 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Maryland Correctional Facilities, Officials Say
MARYLAND (WJZ) -- There are a total of 57 confirmed COVID-19 cases within Maryland correctional facilities, officials said Thursday morning.
The number has more than tripled in the last week, seventeen cases were confirmed- including three inmates and four correctional officers- last Friday, April 3.
Ten of the cases are inmates, 22 are correctional officers, three are Division of Parole and Probation employees, 19 staff members on contract, one clinical health employee and two Office of the Secretary employees.
Staff in all of the Department's correctional facilities were required to begin wearing more protective gear in accordance with new CDC guidelines on April 3, and each correctional employee has been provided with a face shield, glove and a sneeze guard or surgical mask.
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To contribute to the Department's needs, and others across the state, Maryland Correctional Enterprises began making equipment several weeks ago, they said.
They have produced 12,000 sneeze guards, or protective face masks, 10,000 plastic face shields, 1,400 gowns and 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizer.
The department said every inmate is in the process of getting a sneeze guard, and incarcerated individuals in quarantine or isolation due to suspected COVID-19 exposure are being given surgical masks.
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.
