NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The number of COVID-19 cases among inmates in seven Tennessee prisons has jumped to more than 750 as a round of mass testing begins at a CoreCivic facility northeast of Nashville, officials said Tuesday.
Tennessee’s Department of Correction said eight inmates have been hospitalized among the 756 prisoners who have tested positive for the new coronavirus in seven of the state’s 14 prisons. No deaths have been reported, and the vast majority of the positive cases are not symptomatic, the department said in a news release.
Mass testing of all inmates has begun at the CoreCivic-operated Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, where 93 prisoners have tested positive. CoreCivic will begin testing their employees on Wednesday, officials said.
In a statement, CoreCivic said it is working closely with the corrections department and state health officials.
Advocacy groups and elected officials have been concerned about the spread of the outbreak among vulnerable populations such as prisons, where inmates live close together and social distancing is difficult.
Many of the cases have been found at Trousdale and at Bledsoe County Correctional Complex, where 583 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, the department reported.
According to the agency, a little more than 2,300 inmates have been tested thus far at Bledsoe. The prison houses 3,100 inmates.
About 3,800 inmates have been tested in all, but many of the state’s prison facilities have seen little testing. For example, Riverbend Maximum Security Institution - which also houses the state’s death row inmates - has seen one positive case after testing just two inmates. The positive case was not a death row inmate, an agency spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.
While correction officials say they are disinfecting facilities, encouraging social distancing and providing about 93,000 masks inside the prisons, some civil liberties advocates say that is not enough.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee says Republican Gov. Bill Lee should use his executive powers to release inmates whose sentences end in the next year; inmates who are being held on a minor supervision violation; and inmates considered vulnerable if they contract COVID-19 and have a sentence that ends within the next two years.
Lee has held off, so far, from doing so.
“The death toll will likely be significant - both in Tennessee jails and in our communities beyond - if dramatic steps aren’t taken quickly to reduce the number of people behind bars,” said Hedy Weinberg, ACLU of Tennessee executive director, in a statement. “We know that many Tennessee jails are overcrowded.”
The virus also is hitting juvenile justice facilities. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services said 22 youths and seven staff members at a juvenile treatment facility in the Memphis suburb of Bartlett have tested positive for COVID-19.
Just City, a Memphis-based criminal justice advocacy group, has pushed state and local officials to safely start releasing youths from juvenile justice facilities.
“This community will be judged by how we treat our most vulnerable,” said Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City.
The announcement of the correction agency conducting another round of mass prison testing comes as Tennessee reported a modest bump Tuesday in confirmed COVID-19 cases.
According to the latest reporting, Tennessee has little more than 10,000 cases confirmed to date - an increase of 134 cases from the day before. The drop comes after the state saw big increases over several consecutive days.
Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey described Tuesday’s number as “remarkable,” noting that the state’s has widely expanded its testing sites and still saw a small jump in confirmed virus cases. She added that 2% of Tennessee’s 6.7 million population have been tested for COVID-19.
Also Tuesday, Lee’s administration unveiled recommendations for gyms and other exercise facilities to begin reopening in most of Tennessee. The guidance includes encouraging employees and customers to wear masks, spreading out workout equipment six feet apart and deep-cleaning rooms in between group workout classes.
Restaurants in the majority of Tennessee’s 95 counties were allowed to once again have dine-in service after being forced to close to help maintain social distancing rules.
Retails stores will be allowed to reopen Wednesday, while Lee is allowing gyms to reopen on Friday.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and be life-threatening.
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Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee.
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