Over 150 inmates infected in COVID outbreaks across two Raleigh prisons

This story was updated Jan. 18, 2021 to reflect the number of outbreaks at each facility.

Over 150 inmates have contracted the coronavirus in new outbreaks at two state prisons in Raleigh.

Central Prison and the N.C. Correctional Institution for Women have 69 and 96 active COVID-19 cases, respectively, according to N.C. Department of Public Safety data released Friday.

Central Prison has a percent positive rate of 7.5% among inmates tested for the virus, and the women’s prison has a percent positive rate of 8.3%, according to the DPS website.

Both outbreaks were first reported to the Department of Health and Human Services on Dec. 31.

COVID-19 outbreaks are not new to the state’s prison system, where close living conditions can make social distancing difficult. The women’s prison, in particular, had multiple major outbreaks last year, The News & Observer has previously reported. According to DHHS, these are the third such outbreaks at each facility.

In the past month, one inmate from each of the two facilities has died from COVID-19, according to DPS.

A total of two inmates at the women’s prison and four at Central have died from the virus since the pandemic began, according to the DPS website.

When inmates test positive

William Deen, a spokesman for DPS, said in an email that prisoners are housed in “cohorted” units, attending meals and recreational activities together as a precautionary strategy to prevent spread.

When an inmate tests positive for the virus, the housing unit enters a 14-day medical quarantine, with close observation and twice-a-day temperature checks. Individuals who display symptoms of the virus are moved into isolation and tested.

An outbreak can disrupt prison life significantly, even for those who do not contract the virus. For facilities with active outbreaks, all in-person visitations are suspended. Video visitation by family and attorneys are limited to those not placed under quarantine or in isolation.

Inmates are first tested upon entering the prison system, and are tested again with any transfers, movements, or exposures. They are also tested twice before leaving the facility.

The state has received criticism for its handling of the pandemic in prisons — with activists demonstrating for two months outside of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Mansion, and a Wake County Superior Judge ruling in June that prison conditions were likely unconstitutional, The Charlotte Observer reported.

And relief for North Carolina inmates remains uncertain, as DPS announced Thursday that it can’t predict when some of the state’s limited vaccine supply will be allocated to state prisons.

Under current DHHS guidelines only inmates age 65 or older are eligible to receive the vaccine.

This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 5:50 AM.