A second Hawaii Community Correctional Center employee has tested positive for COVID-19, public safety officials reported Friday.
A second Hawaii Community Correctional Center employee has tested positive for COVID-19, public safety officials reported Friday.
Hawaii Community Correctional Center (HCCC) has been in quarantine, per its pandemic protocol, since Monday after the first employee, who had last worked at the Hilo jail on April 7, tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The second employee who tested positive last worked at HCCC on April 8.
While a second employee tested positive, no inmates have tested positive or reported symptoms. On Friday, the Department of Public Safety said results from 39 inmate tests came back negative, bringing the total number of negative test results to 130.
As of the most recent population report issued April 5, Hawaii Community Correctional Center reported housing 298 inmates, which exceeds operational capacity by 72 persons.
The precautionary move to put the facility in quarantine, suspending the movement of inmates within and outside the facility, lasts 10 days per guidelines provided by the state Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Schwartz. Inmates remain in their housing units until cleared by health care staff.
