First Offender in Northern Nevada Tests Positive for COVID-19 at Carson City's Northern Nevada Correctional Center
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Sat, 06/13/2020 - 11:17am
The Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) has expanded its comprehensive COVID-19 testing initiative to facilities in northern Nevada, while confirming its first northern Nevada case of an offender testing positive.
“Our top priority is the health of staff and offenders at our facilities,” said Charles Daniels, NDOC Director. “Our preparation and response is deliberate and in accordance with agency contingency plans and protocols. Our goal is mitigating and ultimately preventing the sustained spread of COVID-19.”
To date, NDOC has tested more than 800 staff and 6,700 offenders statewide. These totals grow every day now that testing has begun at facilities in northern Nevada such as Lovelock Correctional Center and Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC).
The initiative is a partnership between NDOC, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, and the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory that aligns with the State's goal to increase testing statewide and protect vulnerable populations.
The male offender who tested positive was a transfer from Washoe County Detention Center in Reno to NNCC in Carson City. He entered NNCC’s intake unit on May 27 and was undergoing health, mental, and physical screening.
This included a test for COVID-19 as part of NDOC’s testing initiative, which subsequently came back positive.
NDOC’s standard operations for intake requires all offenders be in isolation for a minimum of 20 days.
This timeframe allows medical staff to ensure the health assessment takes into account the generally accepted 14-day incubation period for COVID-19 symptoms to present.
As the offender was still in the intake unit, no offenders in NNCC’s general population were exposed.
In addition to the comprehensive testing plan, NDOC has implemented the following protocols at NNCC to contain the virus thus far:
- The facility’s intake unit is currently in modified operations.
- Staff who may have come in contact with the offender have been released from duty to begin quarantine. They will return to work only after testing negative for COVID-19 and receiving approval from NDOC’s medical director.
- Staff who currently work in the intake unit have been issued full personal protective equipment, to include booties, gloves, and N-95 masks.
- The Warden and his executive team continue regularly scheduled town halls to update staff and offenders on the developing situation and the department’s pro-active response.
- All offenders housed in the affected housing unit have been tested for COVID-19 with test results pending. NDOC will continue to monitor the situation at all facilities
