Virus spreads quickly among Westmoreland County Prison inmates

A massive coronavirus outbreak at Westmoreland County Prison has seen more than 100 inmates and a number of staffers infected over the past 10 days, and officials believe additional cases are possible at the lockup in Hempfield.

Interim Warden George Lawther said Monday two units are in lockdown in an attempt to limit the virus from spreading to other areas of the jail that currently houses 473 inmates.

“I believe we’ve got it covered. We know where (the virus) is, and it is contained,” Lawther said.

The first covid-19 cases were confirmed Nov. 25, when tests results from 19 inmates came back as positive. Over the next week, the number of cases steadily rose among inmates in the A and C units. As of Monday afternoon, 109 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.

Lawther said officials haven’t identified the cause of the most recent outbreak.

Most of the infected inmates have remained in their cells, although 13 are being cared for in the prison’s medical unit. Inmates housed in other units are allowed to visit common areas for food and recreation.

“No one has any serious health issues. No one is hospitalized, and our medical personnel is checking on all the inmates,” Lawther said.

About 60 inmates from both units where infections were found initially tested negative for the virus. They will be retested this week, Lawther said.

County officials said Monday they believe the outbreak is not related to a spread of the virus that flared up at the prison 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. That is 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 Lawther.

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.

Scott Kennedy, president of the United Mine Workers of America Local 522, which represents guards at the jail, said the union supports the mitigation efforts taken at the facility.

“I have no complaints about how the management is handling it. They are doing a good job. We’ve had a lot of staff members infected, but we expected it to happen,” Kennedy said.

Jail guards have been receiving additional pandemic pay since Nov. 25.

Lawther said the prison is open and new inmates are being admitted.

Last week, Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway ordered that no inmates be transferred to the courthouse or to district court offices for hearings.

Unlike the October outbreak, county officials did not immediately disclose the extent of the recent spread of the virus at the prison.

“This really came up very quickly. It was not our intention to withhold information. The last time, I know the numbers were much lower,” Commissioner Doug Chew said.

Coronavirus outbreaks have impacted multiple county government buildings, including Westmoreland Manor and the courthouse.

Since mid-September, 152 Manor residents and 66 staff — for a total of 208 people — have tested positive for the coronavirus. Chew said it has been two weeks since any additional residents have tested positive. Seven residents have died after contracting the virus.

Cases also have increased at the courthouse, where two offices were briefly close Friday after additional cases were reported. Those offices reopened Monday.

Meanwhile, criminal trials scheduled this week were suspended. No trials will be convened until at least early January, officials said.