HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (WJAC) — Officials placed the Blair County Prison on lockdown Tuesday as the facility grapples with COVID-19 cases among inmates.
Officials on the Blair County Prison Board say they were notified at 7:15 a.m. that Warden Abbie Tate placed the facility on lockdown status.
They say the prison administration is enacting a modified “out of cell” schedule for inmates where it’s safe to do so.
The Blair County Prison had 43 inmates who’d tested positive for the virus and 30 others are still waiting for results, officials say.
They add that 15 inmates have tested negative.
According to prison officials, Blair County inmates are under the care of PrimeCare Medical and starting Wednesday, medical staff will begin the process of testing all inmates.
“Blair County is following all Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) guidelines to minimize the risk to the healthy inmates and the County correctional officers caring for the inmate population,” officials wrote in a release.
Citing privacy concerns, authorities say they were not providing any other information at this time.
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