ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Department of Corrections says there are 17 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 within the system.
Three inmates, eight contractual staff members, four correctional officers, and two Parole and Probation employees.
Here is the breakdown of cases:
Jessup Correctional Institution: 8 positive cases (2 inmates; 6 contractual employees)
Metropolitan Transition Center (Baltimore): 2 positive cases (1 correctional officer; 1 contractual employee)
Jail Industries Building (Baltimore): 1 positive case (1 contractual employee)
Dorsey Run Correctional Facility (Jessup): 1 positive case (1 correctional officer)
Maryland Correctional Institution-Jessup: 1 positive case (1 correctional officer)
Maryland Correctional Training Center (Hagerstown): 1 positive case (1 correctional officer)
Maryland Correctional Institution for Women (Jessup): 1 positive case (1 inmate)
Division of Parole and Probation (Hagerstown): 1 positive case (1 supervisor)
Division of Parole and Probation (Baltimore): 1 positive case (1 agent)
Officials have now started tracing who may have come into contact with those infected.
According to department policy, staff testing positive are quarantined for a minimum of 14-days, and must be medically cleared before returning to work. Symptomatic staff in contact with
those who have tested positive are removed from the workplace and directed to see their medical provider.
Inmates with positive tests are monitored while being isolated from the general population for a minimum of 14 days. Meanwhile, symptomatic inmates in direct contact with those testing positive are isolated, tested, and monitored. Asymptomatic inmates with close contact to positive case are also quarantined and monitored.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ordered an end to all visitation to correctional facilities during the pandemic.
On Friday, the Maryland Office of the Public Defender said they were petitioning the State Court of Appeals to order the Department of Juvenile Services to release a large number of juveniles currently in custody and limiting the amount of young people entering jails as part of new cases.
