Waterbury, Vt., August 2, 2020 – Early results have identified 85 Vermont inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Miss. Vermont Department of Corrections ordered testing of all inmates held at TCCF on Thursday, July 30. At this time, tests are still pending. Numbers are preliminary and may change.
Testing was ordered after six inmates returning from TCCF tested positive upon arrival at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland on Tuesday, July 28.
“Testing is only one part of the response to COVID-19 inside facilities. You also need a clear, detailed plan for every operational aspect, from how to get laundry done to how and when to conduct follow-up testing to proper PPE for inmates and staff to communicating with local hospitals,” said Interim Commissioner Jim Baker. “Teams from VTDOC and CoreCivic are working around the clock to implement the Vermont model of mitigation at TCCF and ensure the continued safety of the inmates housed there.”
Vermont inmates are assigned to three different living units at TCCF. A Vermont inmate still housed in Mississippi tested positive for coronavirus last week and is included in the positive test count. There are 219 Vermont inmates currently located at the Tallahatchie facility.
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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