COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina inmate has tested positive for Covid-19
On Sunday officials at South Carolina Department of Corrections received a positive test result for the COVID-19 virus for an inmate at Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center in Columbia.
The 69-year-old inmate, who has pre-existing medical conditions, was tested Friday, April 17, and the results came back today.
He was immediately placed in isolation on Friday and is now hospitalized for treatment.
The inmate, who is serving a life sentence, lives in a single cell and works in an administrative capacity in the reception center.
The unit in which the inmate lives is now on quarantine, and the 121 inmates who live there are being monitored. Anyone who presents with symptoms will be tested. The area also is getting a deep clean tonight.
A contact investigation is being done to determine whether other inmates and staff have come in close contact with him.
Those inmates will be quarantined and monitored for 14 days, and staff will be self-monitored for symptoms.
Throughout SCDC, 24 inmates have been tested for COVID-19.
Of those, 22 are negative, 1 is positive and 1 is pending from an unrelated pre-operative screening.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has been notified, and SCDC is following recommended guidelines to ensure the health and safety of inmates and staff.
All inmates and staff have been given two masks, and they are encouraged to wear them whenever they are in close contact with anyone else.
Living areas are being cleaned every two hours, and according to SCDC inmates have access to plenty of soap and sanitizer.
SCDC medical staff assesses any patient who presents with respiratory symptoms. If the patient warrants a test for COVID-19, a test is collected.
Throughout SCDC, only critical personnel are allowed entrance to institutions.
Everyone who enters an institution has their temperature taken and is screened for symptoms.