Third Wisconsin prison experiences coronavirus outbreak

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Corrections says there’s been another coronavirus outbreak in a state prison.

The Racine Correctional Institution/Sturtevant Transitional Facility had 127 active COVID-19 cases among prisoners as of Monday, according to the DOC.

Two other prisons, Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution and Oshkosh Correctional Institution, are still in the midst of two large outbreaks. As of Monday, Kettle Moraine had 412 active cases among inmates and Oshkosh had 346.

Sturtevant is a small unit of Racine Correctional and is located adjacent to the larger prison. The facilities are counted as one prison on the DOC’s data dashboard.

Among staff, 32 Racine Correctional employees have self-reported testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Sturtevant was not reported as having positive cases among staff. Infected staff are directed to stay home and self-quarantine.

DOC’s policy is for infected prisoners to be isolated and medically cared for, and exposed inmates to be quarantined.

Across all adult institutions, DOC reported 1,104 active COVID-19 cases among inmates and 124 active cases among staff, as of Monday, the State Journal reported.

At the end of September, the prison had seen a total of 116 positive cases since the start of the pandemic. By Monday, that figure had risen to a total of 246.

Of the positive cases so far, 118 are considered “inactive,” meaning the inmate is no longer testing positive for COVID-19.