Waterbury, VT – Vermont Department of Corrections (Vermont DOC) is reporting all negative results in both staff and the incarcerated population at Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) in Newport during Covid testing conducted Monday, March 29. This is the first time all tests have returned negative since the outbreak began in late February.
“These are the results our team has been tirelessly working toward since February. It’s been a heavy lift for acting Superintendent Scott Martin and the NSCF staff, the Rapid Response Team, the Vermont Department of Health, VitalCore and our other medical partners, North Country Hospital, and our incarcerated population,” said Commissioner Jim Baker. “We will continue to test the facility and monitor the situation closely, we aren’t in the clear yet, but today is encouraging.”
There are currently two positive incarcerated cases and three positive staff cases at the facility. A total of 177 prior positive individuals have been medically cleared to leave isolation, which means they are no longer considered Covid-positive or exhibiting symptoms of the virus. As of Wednesday, a total of nine staff and two incarcerated individuals statewide are positive for the virus.
Staff and incarcerated individuals at NSCF are being tested again Thursday, April 1 with two more rounds of testing scheduled. The outbreak began after one staff member and 21 incarcerated individuals tested positive for the virus in testing conducted February 23, 2021.
Families and friends of incarcerated individuals are encouraged to reach out to the Vermont DOC Office of Constituency Services with questions: https://doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends. Click here for the direct link to the online Friends and Family portal.
Daily updates on the COVID-19 response in Vermont’s correctional facilities can be found at https://doc.vermont.gov/covid-19-information-page.
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