KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Hutchinson Correctional Center in Hutchinson, Kansas, has confirmed its first case of COVID-19, the Kansas Department of Corrections said Friday.
One staff member, a man over the age of 20, tested positive for the virus, according to a news release.
The first positive case at the prison comes after mandatory mask protocol was implemented on July 3 for staff and on July 6 for inmates.
The living unit where the staff member works will be quarantined for at least 14 days, and testing will be conducted on that unit. Contact tracing also will be done to determine if any staff or inmates had close contact with the staff member, according to KDOC.
Six other KDOC facilities have confirmed cases of COVID-19, including Lansing Correctional Facility, where 96 staff and 850 residents contracted the virus. According to KDOC data, which is updated weekly, the majority of both staff and inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.
“We know that our battle with this virus is far from over as positive cases in our state are continuing to rise,” KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda said in the news release. “We know far more about COVID-19 today than we did three months ago so we are very hopeful that the risk to any others is low. We will continue to diligently monitor those within our care for symptoms.”
The Hutchinson Correctional Center houses 1,884 inmates, all men.
