ORIENT – There are currently 3,580 inmates that have tested positive for COVID-19 in Ohio prisons and Pickaway corrections has almost half of those cases.
In a mere two weeks Pickaway prisons has swelled from only a handful of positive cases to now 1,768 positive inmate cases and 101 staff members, 25 deaths including a nurse at the facility, and two more deaths pending.
CDC a detention facility that shares the same location reports 73 cases of inmates and 12 positive staff members.
CDC is reporting 37 deaths within institutions Pickaway county holding 2/3s of those deaths.
Dewine reported that some of the people who were reported as positive for the virus were asymptomatic.
Dewine said that they closed down visitors in early March and were the 2nd State in the country to lock down our prisons in plan to protect the virus from getting into our correction facilities.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
.@DRCOhio: The reason we tested everyone in three facilities is b/c in Marion we have a high number who are older. Franklin is a medical facility. Pickaway has a dialysis unit and a long-term care facility. These are populations that are very vulnerable.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
In Marion, there were so many people who were asymptomatic and positive. We thought there would be a small number who were positive and asymptomatic, but the science told us differently.
When they started seeing symptoms of the virus in prisons like Marion and Pickaway, Dewine mandated testing everyone because both locations have more older inmates, medical facilities, Pickaway is a dialysis unit and long-term facility. After testing everyone the prisons realized COVID-19 was widespread they found out 80-90% were asymptomatic, so they had to treat the entire system as infected.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
I think @DRCOhio has a good system. They have offered inmates masks, they do contact tracing, there is very little else that I can suggest. They’ve really done a lot. They’ve been very thorough.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
.@DRCOhio: The reason we tested everyone in three facilities is b/c in Marion we have a high number who are older. Franklin is a medical facility. Pickaway has a dialysis unit and a long-term care facility. These are populations that are very vulnerable.
Plans went into place giving inmates masks and having inmates laying head to feet, they have separated people into extra spaces within the facility, like chapels, rec rooms, and lunch room spaces to get distance between people.
Smith said the heroes are the staff at these facilities, going into these facilities knowing that the virus is widespread and still doing their jobs. They changed leave hours, they test and check staff members to make sure they are not sick when they go home or come into the facility. She wanted to remind these workers that many hotels are offering free rooms for showering or even to stay there and not go home to bring the virus home to their families.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
Those working at our hotspot prisons can also go to a hotel to shower before going home or they can stay there and not go home. That isn’t mandated, but this is offered as an option to help protect their families.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
You’ve heard @DrAmyActon say that heroes don’t wear capes – our heroes wear gray correction officer uniforms. They are coming into prisons where they know people are #COVID19 positive, but they are still doing their jobs every day.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
You’ve heard @DrAmyActon say that heroes don’t wear capes – our heroes wear gray correction officer uniforms. They are coming into prisons where they know people are #COVID19 positive, but they are still doing their jobs every day.
Governor Mike DeWine✔@GovMikeDeWine
#ThankYou to our corrections staff at @DRCOhio!
#InThisTogetherOhio
