Waterbury, VT – Vermont Department of Corrections (Vermont DOC) is reporting 100 new cases of Covid-19 among incarcerated individuals and eight new staff cases in the outbreak at Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) in Newport. The cases were detected in testing conducted March 1.
The outbreak began after one staff member and 21 incarcerated individuals tested positive for the virus. The 22 total cases were detected in testing conducted February 23, 2021. There are currently 127 positive incarcerated cases and ten positive staff cases at the facility.
Contact tracing is underway, and Vermont DOC and Vermont Health Department’s Rapid Response Team are outlining follow-up actions and testing. The entire facility will be tested again on March 4, and has been in full lockdown since receipt of the first positive results on February 25. All other state facilities are in modified lockdown.
“This is the largest outbreak at a Vermont correctional facility since the start of the pandemic, and it’s all hands on deck for our response,” said Commissioner Jim Baker. “Northern State is now being treated like a hospital. We’re coordinating with our medical contractor, regional hospitals, the State Emergency Operations Center, the Vermont Department of Health, and other partners to ensure we have wraparound services for those in our care. Ensuring the wellbeing of staff and the incarcerated population is our top priority.”
As of Tuesday, a total of 12 staff and 127 incarcerated individuals are positive for the virus throughout Vermont correctional facilities.
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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