HOFFMAN — There were 34 new cases of COVID-19 among offenders incarcerated at Morrison Correctional Institution reported over the weekend, according to the Department of Public Safety, a spike nearly twice as large as the outbreak the prison saw in September when 19 cases were reported in one day.

This outbreak technically began around Oct. 6, according to John Bull, a spokesperson for DPS. That date is when the prison was placed on “red status.” The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services defines an outbreak of COVID-19 as being when two or more positive cases are confirmed within a 28-day period.

Richmond County saw 42 new COVID-19 cases reported Monday. Its unclear how many of these included prison staff. Inmates are not counted as part of Richmond County’s case total, but prison staff are.

Offenders who test positive are immediately separated from the offender population and moved to medical isolation in order to keep them from infecting others, according to the Division of Prisons’ protocols. The areas of the prison where the positive cases show up are placed under a medical quarantine for close observation, and those in those areas have their temperature checked twice a day.

The state has taken steps to reduce the amount of mingling between prisoners. According to Bull, prisoners are “cohorted,” meaning kept within a defined group of other prisoners, based on the location of their cells. These cohorts eat together, have recreation time together, and stay together through other scheduled aspects of prison life.

Bull said that, since the pandemic began in March, 31 Morrison staff members have tested positive and 24 have since been “presumed recovered,” allowing them to return to work. As of Tuesday, there are seven staff members who are not working due to testing positive for the virus.

“All staff and all offenders in all prisons each of six cloth, three-ply face masks,” Bull said in an email. “They absolutely are required to wear them in prisons with a COVID-19 outbreak.”

Health Director Tommy Jarrell last Friday confirmed that, in addition to the prison, an outbreak at the Hermitage Retirement Center has contributed to recent spikes in new cases. Hermitage had 14 total cases as of Friday, but there has been no change in that number as of Tuesday.

“It’s gotten so widespread its almost impossible to trace it back to where they got it from,” Jarrell said Friday, when the county reported 32 new cases. “It’s becoming very challenging. The take-home message is for everyone to really practice preventative measures, keep social distancing … not only to protect ourselves but to protect other people because you may not know that you’ve been exposed.

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