Blanket testing of hundreds of inmates and staff at the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport returned no positive results for Covid-19.
Testing took place Monday of the 387 inmates and 143 staff at the facility. On Wednesday the Vermont Department of Corrections reported the results showed no cases of the coronavirus.
The Newport prison is the fifth correctional facility to undergo mass testing in recent weeks. Testing last week at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland and the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury the week before also yielded no new Covid-19 positive case.Â
In addition, after a staff member tested positive at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, mass testing of the inmates and staff at the women’s prison also resulted in no additional coronavirus cases.
An outbreak did occur in April at the Northwest Regional Correctional Facility in St. Albans, resulting in a total of 45 inmates and about 20 staff testing positive for Covid-19. According to corrections officials, all the inmates who have tested positive have since recovered.
The only remaining correctional facility in Vermont that hasn’t yet had blanket testing of its inmates and staff is the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. Testing there is set to take place next week.
— Alan Keays