Westmoreland prison stepping up actions to prevent coronavirus

Would-be visitors to the Westmoreland County Prison are being asked to stay home if they’re not feeling well amid concerns of the spread of coronavirus, according to Warden John Walton.

Anyone trying to visit an inmate at the Hempfield jail who is coughing or sneezing in the lobby will be asked to leave, he said. Inmates who don’t feel well also will be denied in-person visits until being cleared by medical staff, he said.

“We’ve been on this for weeks,” he said.

There were 12 presumed positive cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania as of Tuesday afternoon, all in the eastern part of the state, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Walton said he has been working with the state health department, department of corrections and the jail’s medical staff to determine the best plan of action to prevent the virus from entering the jail, which saw an average population in September of 665 inmates.

Jail visits typically occur through a glass wall and a phone. Friends and family have the option of doing 25-minute video visits for $15.

“This way, hopefully, no one’s going to bring it in from the outside” or pass it on from inside, Walton said.

The jail also is upping its cleaning procedures. During regular cleaning of dining areas, inmate workers will wipe down phones, door handles and visiting areas after sessions, he said.

“We’re going to be wiping down things where it spreads,” Walton said.

In the event an inmate contracts coronavirus, the jail has six isolation cells. Basic information about the virus and how to prevent it have been posted around the facility and handed out to visitors.

“We have masks available. I’ve got thousands and thousands of masks available if we need them,” Walton said. “We’re going to have to deal with it if we get it.”

The Allegheny County Jail is taking similar precautions. Hand sanitizer stations have been added in certain parts of the Pittsburgh jail and inmates and staff are reminded to wash their hands frequently.

Jails around the country are taking precautions, ranging from intensifying screening processes upon intake to installing handwashing stations.

The Associated Press reported that riots broke out in at least 12 prisons in Italy after officials suspended or limited family visits in response to the virus outbreak. Six inmates died after breaking into an infirmary and overdosing on methadone, according to the news outlet. More than 7,300 people in Italy have been infected with the virus, prompting sweeping measures from the government there.