SCI Phoenix Inmate Has Coronavirus; 1st Case In PA State Prisons

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — The first case of coronavirus in the Pennsylvania state prison system was found over the weekend at SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County, leading officials to quarantine the entire state prison system.

The rest of the inmate's housing unit has been put under quarantine. Officials traced all inmates and staff who had contact with the inmate, and are monitoring them for symptoms. It's not yet clear how many people may have been exposed, or exactly how the virus got into the prison.

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The inmate has "underlying health conditions," according to Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel. He's been taken to isolation in the prison's infirmary for further treatment.

The new state inmate quarantine is "essentially forced social distancing," Wetzel said. Inmates will be fed in their cells, and will have designated out of cell time for video calls, phone calls, and law library access.

>>3 Officers At Montco Correctional Facility Have Coronavirus

The news comes amid a push from activists to reduce the number of prisoners in jails as the virus takes hold across the region, and correctional facilities, with their tight, enclosed quarters, have been identified as prime carriers.

"This (reducing the number of prisoners) is necessary in order to prevent many needless deaths among prisoners, corrections officers, and members of the public at large," State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) wrote in an open letter to Gov. Wolf on Monday.

The quarantine only applies to the state prison system, not county correctional facilities. There are 44,600 inmates in 25 state prisons in Pennsylvania.

"We must take this step to contain the virus to one facility and to keep it from spreading throughout the system," Wetzel added. "I don’t want to wait until we have several cases in our system to act. We’re taking this proactive measure now.”

Both staff and inmates in the impacted housing unit at SCI Phoenix have been given personal protective equipment in the interim. A deep cleaning of common areas and inmate cells is ongoing.

The are 431 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Montgomery County as of Monday morning, with five deaths. The state total ballooned to 3,394 over the weekend.

>>Latest coronavirus updates in Pennsylvania