2 coronavirus cases reported at Westmoreland prison

Rich Cholodofsky, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Jun. 28—Two Westmoreland County Prison inmates have active coronavirus infections but the facility's warden on Monday said there is no sign of an additional outbreak at the Hempfield lockup.

One inmate developed an infection while in quarantine and another tested positive after he was placed in a general population unit, said Warden Bryan Kline.

"Everyone in that unit was tested and no one else tested positive," Kline said.

As of Monday morning, 494 inmates were housed at the prison, which in the last month resumed in-person visitation and work-release programs as the coronavirus infection numbers decreased across the state and county. According the Pennsylvania Department of Health, just six new coronavirus cases were reported in the county over the weekend.

Although the new infections won't impact operations at the lockup, officials said inmates will be given free weekly video visits through August, a benefit that has been in place for about the last year.

"This is going to reduce the number of people in the building as we're starting to return to normal," Kline said.

The prison was a hot spot for coronavirus earlier this year, with 113 inmates recently recovered from infections after contracting the virus this winter and spring.

To date, 192 inmates are partially or fully vaccinated, Kline said, including 46 who received their first of two doses at a clinic held last week. Those inmates will receive their second doses in late July, when first doses will again be offered to inmates.

As of Monday, about 40% of inmates were vaccinated. Kline said another 10 inmates were vaccinated before they were jailed. The county does not track the number of vaccinated employees, including staff, officials said.

Inmates and staff still are required to wear masks at the lockup, Kline said.

Meanwhile, Judge Michele Bononi on Monday signed a court order to lift the mask mandate for juvenile inmates and shelter residents at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .