Inmate in high-security annex in Sioux Falls tests positive for COVID-19
Danielle Ferguson
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
An inmate at the state's high-security prison annex has tested positive for COVID-19, the department of health said Wednesday.
The Sioux Falls Police Department brought the person to the Jameson Prison Annex for an intoxication assessment on Saturday night and he was immediately isolated into a cell by himself, Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon said. Nurses wearing proper personal protective equipment were able to assess him, and they learned that he had been exposed to a potential COVID-19 case. The inmate remains in isolation, and no other inmates have had contact with him.
No additional information on the inmate was provided, and the South Dakota Department of Corrections landing page for coronavirus-related updates had no additional details. This is the second confirmed case in the state's prisons.
A woman at the work release center at the South Dakota Women's Prison who tested positive for the virus on March 23 has since recovered. The 155 female inmates who were under observation have been released from quarantine.
The Jameson Annex houses 490 inmates as of February. The state penitentiary, often referred to as the hill, is home to 766 inmates in a separate building.
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New inmates are still being brought to facilities from county jails, and some are being transferred to other facilities.
The department of corrections has said it is taking extra precautions and following CDC guidelines on incarceration facilities: employees must wear masks — made by inmates at $.25 to $.50 an hour — and inmates are to do extra cleaning around the facilities. In-person visitations were suspended on March 12 and days later, work release inmates were no longer to go to their jobs.
On March 18, the DOC announced that it activated its Continuity of Operations Plan, which "establishes direct response and management ensuring that critical functions continue within our department." The department said it identified essential function staff and operations, with the "primary focus on safety, sanitation, security and supervision." Food, laundry, medical, behavioral health, and maintenance have continued.
Email reporter Danielle Ferguson at dbferguson@argusleader.com, or follow on Twitter at @DaniFergs.