From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama prison system said 19 inmates and 70 staff and contract workers have tested positive for COVID-19 since April.
In a Tuesday night news release, the Alabama Department of Corrections reported seven additional positive tests among inmates, bringing the total cases from 12 to 19. Ten of the inmates are currently ill.
The prison system previously reported that one inmate had died after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The department said a total of 70 staff members and contract workers have self-reported positive tests for COVID-19. Seventeen of those have been cleared by medical providers to return to work.
Inmate advocates and health experts have expressed concerns that the state’s overcrowded prisons would become a breeding ground for a deadly outbreak and urged the state to make additional changes.
The prison system has said it is taking precautions such as distributing masks to inmates and quarantining infirmaries and other areas where there have been positive cases.
Alabamians for Fair Justice, an advocacy group, donated more than 3,200 bars of antibacterial soap and other hygiene supplies to the prison system in April.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and be life-threatening.