All Inmates With Coronavirus to Be Treated At Somers Prison

SOMERS, CT — All inmates who have tested positive for the new coronavirus are being transferred to a medical isolation unit at the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, according to an announcement from the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC).

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Northern was selected due to its setup, with solid walls and doors which fully close. "The Northern facility’s infrastructure provides for optimal air quality through a separate ventilation system in each housing unit that draws one hundred percent outside air and exhausts it without any recirculation. This is similar to ventilation systems found in most medical/hospital environments," according to a DOC statement.

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"Thanks in part to the Agency’s concerted effort to responsibly release offenders, our population is down by more than 800 individuals since March 1, allowing us the ability to isolate offenders who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in a centralized location," DOC Commissioner Rollin Cook said. "Housing those who have the virus at the Northern facility is in line with the CDC’s guidance. It is also in the best interest of everyone."

At the York, Garner and Manson Youth facilities, where movement to Northern would be inappropriate, no inmates have yet tested positive for the virus, but isolation units will be established there if necessary.

"We are prepared to treat any offender within any of these three respective facilities should the need arise," according to the statement.

All necessary precautions are being taken during transportation, including the use of masks for both staff and inmates and a thorough cleaning process of restraints and vehicles at the conclusion of trips, according to the DOC.