Two employees test positive for coronavirus at state prison in Chino

Two employees at the California Institution for Men, a state prison in Chino, tested positive for the coronavirus, state prison officials said Saturday.

The pair, along with one employee at California State Prison, Sacramento, are the first known confirmed cases among state prison employees.

The announcement of the confirmed cases, which was detailed in a brief statement on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website, also included mention of a San Quentin State Prison employee previously reported to have tested positive, but ultimately was a negative case.

Officials also said that any inmates arriving at a prison’s Reception Center from county jail will be quarantined for 14 days. There are no known confirmed cases among CDCR’s inmate population of more than 123,000.

The statement did not mention what jobs the employees held at the Chino prison or whether the employees came in contact with the prison’s population.

Throughout the past several weeks, CDCR has made sweeping changes throughout its prison system to address the coronavirus pandemic.

On March 12, officials announced they would cancel all visitations to state prisons to prevent the spread of the disease to its inmate population and employees.

“CDCR recognizes the value of visitation in maintaining important connections with family,” spokesperson Dana Simas wrote in a news release. “However, at this time the Department must do all it can to protect the health of those who live in, work in, and visit state institutions. This measure is taken as part of CDCR’s comprehensive enhanced precautions related to COVID-19.”

The visit ban was followed by the suspension of rehabilitation programs, postponement of parole hearings until March 30, and halting all out-of-state transfers for 30 days, which officials announced on Tuesday.

Spread of the potentially lethal coronavirus among state inmate populations, who are largely housed in overcrowded facilities, has been a concern for civil rights activist groups.

In a letter sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on March 13, a coalition of advocate groups listed seven demands to protect state prison inmates from COVID-19.

Among their demands was the release of all medically fragile adults and adults over the age of 60 and the release of all people who have an anticipated release dates in 2020 and 2021 to parole supervision.

The letter was cosigned by groups such as Justice Collaborative, American Civil Liberties Union, California Public Defender’s Association and Los Angeles County Public Defenders.

“This overcrowding and unsanitary conditions will contribute to the spread of COVID-19 within California’s prison system,” the letter said. “Moreover, it threatens the public at large, as thousands of individuals and correctional, medical, and other staff interact with the incarcerated population and return to their communities.”

The prison in Chino is among many state prisons that have struggled with overcrowding in recent decades.

The facility was designed to house 2,976 inmates, according to a weekly population report released by CDCR. Currently, the Chino prison houses 3,537 inmates, 118.9 percent of its capacity, the report said.

In San Bernardino County there have been 10 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Saturday evening. Riverside County had 30 cases as of Saturday night.