HCCC: Eighth inmate tests positive for COVID-19

An eighth Hawaii Community Correctional Center inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, the state Department of Public Safety announced Thursday.

One additional COVID-19 case was confirmed Thursday at the Hilo facility, which saw two of its three units placed in quarantine Monday after a pair of recently admitted inmates tested positive for the virus.

The department said Wednesday that one of the inmates who had tested positive was released after serving their full sentence leaving the cluster still housed at the facility at seven as of Thursday.

Contract tracing continues and voluntary testing is being coordinated for inmates and staff, the department reitereated Wednesday.

The enactment of the facility’s pandemic protocol, which also suspends all inmate movement from the facility, came less than a month after the facility emerged April 26 from quarantine prompted by two positive tests among staff.

As of the most recent bi-monthly population report issued Wednesday with data as recent as May 17, Hawaii Community Correctional Center reported housing 338 inmates, which exceeds operational capacity by 112 persons. As of the last report issued April 5, the jail reported housing 298 inmates, which exceeded operational capacity by 72 persons.