From Superintendent Russ Gilkison:
In an effort to keep everyone as updated as possible, we are announcing that, late yesterday afternoon, April 23, 2020, we were informed of a confirmed case of COVID-19 with one of our staff members. This person is a support staff member, who does not have direct inmate contact and has not been in the building in over a week. This staff member began feeling ill over the weekend while at home, was tested earlier this week, and received the confirmation yesterday. The Virginia Department of Health believes this staff member possibly contracted the virus from their spouse, who works at a poultry plant in Rockingham County. The staff member is in contact with the VDH and their primary care physician and is resting in self-isolation at home.
A second support staff member, who was in close contact with this staff member, has been directed to self-isolate at home for 14 days, at the direction of the Virginia Department of Health. This staff member is not displaying any symptoms at this time.
Currently, there are no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the facility. We are continuing to take steps to keep our staff and the inmates as safe as possible by screening everyone entering the facility, cleaning and sanitizing day and night, and utilizing PPE. We will continue to update everyone as the situation evolves.