Covid cases on the rise at Westmoreland County Prison

Coronavirus cases continue to mount at Westmoreland County Prison, with eight additional inmates testing positive for the virus Saturday, bringing the total number infected to 114, according to interim Warden George Lowther.

Lowther said two units at the Hempfield facility remain in lockdown in an attempt to limit the virus from spreading to other areas of the jail that currently houses 468 inmates.

“We believe we have it under control as well as can be expected, but as we’re all learning with this virus we don’t really know what to expect next,” he said.

He said the inmates in the two units who tested postive are kept in quarantine for 14 days and are retested, but they still can shower and have access to recreation “on a daily basis,” Lowther said. Those infected are kept away from general population areas, he said.

The first covid-19 cases in the current surge were confirmed Nov. 25, when tests results from 19 inmates came back positive. During the next week, the number of cases steadily rose among inmates in the A and C units.

As of Dec. 7, more than 100 inmates tested positive and 10 prison employees were off work, either infected or in quarantine after being found to be in close contact with someone diagnosed with the virus.

Lowther said none of those infected has had any serious health issues and no one has been hospitalized.

“Our medical personnel is checking on all the inmates,” Lowther said.

In October, the county reported at least 45 inmates and 11 guards tested positive for coronavirus in mid-October, but those cases had been cleared by the end of that month, officials said.

Over the summer, the prison initiated a procedure to quarantine all new inmates and keep them out of the facility’s general population for up to 10 days. Those protocols are still in place.

Construction of 24 negative-pressure cells — a $199,000 project approved in October by county commissioners to limit airflow to the rest of the prison — is expected to begin this month and be ready for occupants by Christmas, according to Lowther.

Additional mitigation efforts that require inmates and staff to wear masks, routine intensive cleaning and other safety measures are in place to help limit the spread of the virus.

The prison remains open and new inmates are being admitted.

Commissioner Doug Chew, a member of the prison board, also noted that a class for potential county prison guards is expected to get underway in January and there is still time to apply.

Controller Jeffrey Balzer, also a member of the prison board, noted that with the coronavirus pandemic has added to the “already stressful” work environment and attrition has been a problem. Officials noted that some other law enforcement and prison institutions have been hiring existing county prison staffers.

Lowther noted that applicants can fill out an application online on the county’s general website. Applicants then will be brought in for an interview.

Potential corrections officers are required to undergo a criminal background check in addition to a drug test before qualifying for entry into the four-week class held at the prison.