Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 | 5:38 p.m.
CARSON CITY — State prison officials have ordered a lockdown at a medium-security facility in Northern Nevada after 93 inmates and seven staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Nevada Department of Corrections said Friday that additional sanitation measures have been deployed, and all meals are being delivered to individual units during the lockdown at the Warm Springs Correctional Center in Carson City.
Department Director Charles Daniels said the remainder of the facility’s 525 offenders and all staff would be tested again later Friday and Saturday. He didn't disclose when the positive results first were confirmed.
Employees routinely are tested for COVID-19 every two weeks and offenders every three weeks, but more frequently when necessary, he said. All staff are screened for symptoms and temperatures taken before entering the facility, and are required to wear masks at all times.
“We will manage the outbreak as we have a first-class outbreak response plan and talented professionals committed to executing the plan,” Daniels said in a statement. “I do believe our protocols will mitigate the spread of the virus not only at Warm Springs but the rest of the agency as well.”
