Six inmates and five staff now infected with COVID-19 at Monroe prison

The number of inmates infected with COVID-19 at the Monroe Correctional Complex has jumped to six, and five staff members also have tested positive, according to the state Department of Corrections.

DOC announced late Tuesday that two male inmates, ages 68 and 28, are infected.

On Wednesday, DOC updated its website to indicate the jump in the number of cases, but it offered no details. A DOC spokesperson didn’t return phone and email messages seeking comment.

Eraina Strong, a Tacoma resident whose fiance is an inmate in the minimum security unit where the outbreak has occurred, said she is angry and frustrated about a lack of transparency by DOC.

“They need to give the families more information. They’re playing hide-and-seek, and they’re upsetting families and inmates,” she said.

Strong also said inmates in single cells with less than a year on their sentences should be released, freeing up more space so there can be social distancing by inmates.

The state said a 49-year-old inmate was transported Sunday to a local hospital for examination and rapid COVID-19 testing, which came back positive.

In response to that positive test, the 68-year-old inmate and 28-year-old inmate were transferred to an isolation unit on Sunday, provided COVID-19 testing on-site and the tests were returned as positive on Tuesday, said Susan Biller, the Joint Information Center spokesperson for the Department of Corrections.

The two inmates were housed in the minimum security unit, which also is the location of the first positive incarcerated individual in the state’s correctional system.

DOC said late Tuesday there are about 17 inmates in the isolation unit. The incarcerated men who remain in the minimum security unit were in protective isolation or quarantine as a preventative measure, the prison system said.

Additionally, the facility has made housing moves within the unit to further protect the most vulnerable individuals, DOC said.

All transfers in and out of the Monroe Correctional Complex have ceased, as of Tuesday morning.

Asked Wednesday morning if Gov. Jay Inslee is concerned about a potentially widening COVID-19 outbreak at the Monroe Correctional Complex, Inslee spokeswoman Tara Lee said in an email: “We are reviewing all of the options taking into consideration the needs of the incarcerated individuals, community health resources and public safety.”

The state said an inmate last month from the Monroe Correctional Complex who was housed in a community medical center contracted COVID-19. The inmate has remained in the community medical center since March 27, DOC said.