SOMERS, Conn. — The Connecticut Department of Correction has begun moving all offenders who have tested positive for COVID-19 to the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers.
THE DOC said the move is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for correctional and detention facilities which recommends establishing medical isolation units where positive COVID-19 patients are managed in cells with solid walls and solid doors that close fully.
Officials also said, "The Northern facility’s infrastructure provides for optimal air quality through a separate ventilation system in each housing unit that draws one hundred percent outside air and exhaust it without any recirculation. This is similar to ventilation systems found in most medical/hospital environments."
The DOC said they will manage their supply of personal protection equipment through the creation of one centralized treatment location.
Officials said, "Although no offenders at the York, Garner, or Manson Youth facilities (women, youth, those with acute mental health issues) have tested positive for the virus, we are prepared to treat any offender within any of these three respective facility should the need arise."
Inmate population is down by more than 800 individuals since March 1,
All necessary precautions are being taken during transportation, including the use of masks for both staff and offenders and a thorough cleaning process of restraints and vehicles at the conclusion of trips.