More than 140 California Men’s Colony employees tested positive for COVID in past 2 weeks
More than 140 people employed by the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo have contracted COVID-19 in the past two weeks, according to data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
According to CDCR data, there are currently 141 active coronavirus infections among prison staff and 142 new cases in the past two weeks.
Comparatively, the CDCR says 13 prison inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at the California Men’s Colony in that same time, though only about 31% of the prison’s population have been tested in the last 14 days.
The outbreak among CMC staff comes after a surge in COVID-19 cases in the county, largely driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
Statewide, the department estimates about 69% of its corrections staff (about 45,000 workers) are fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.
The staff working at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo has similar estimated vaccination rates. Roughly 68% of the people employed at the prison are fully vaccinated, according to CDCR data.
The department defines “fully vaccinated” as anyone who has received the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, two of the Moderna vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The data does not show booster vaccine status.
Of the roughly 3,200 inmates at the San Luis Obispo prison, about 84% are fully vaccinated, according to CDCR.
State issues new testing and masking guidelines for prisons
California Men’s Colony spokesman Lt. John Hill told The Tribune in an email Tuesday that the state prison system and the SLO prison have both introduced new testing and masking guidelines due to the winter surge.
On Jan. 3, the CDCR released a new memorandum ordering corrections staff not to report to work if they are experiencing COVID-related symptoms, if they have tested positive for the disease within the previous 10 days or if they were exposed to anyone with a laboratory-confirmed coronavirus diagnosis in the past two weeks while not wearing the correct personal protective equipment.
The department also issued a memorandum Jan. 5 requiring prison staff to wear N95 masks while on duty, regardless of their vaccination status and including while outdoors if distancing cannot be achieved, according to Hill.
Prison inmates were provided a cloth barrier mask at the beginning of the pandemic, and the prison system is starting to distribute more protective masks to the incarcerated population.
Beginning Dec. 24, 2021, the California Men’s Colony issued inmates one K95 mask each day, Hill said. The mask can be exchanged for a new one if it gets dirty or torn.
A Jan. 11 memorandum from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said every inmate must be issued two disposable masks by Jan. 17. By Monday, each inmate is to receive an N95 mask that can be exchanged if damaged, according to Hill.
In December, CMC required all prison staff — regardless of vaccination status — to get tested twice a week, with the tests scheduled three days apart, Hill said.
Any California Men’s Colony prison staffer who is unvaccinated or returning from extended leave is required to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the building, Hill said. Anyone who tests positive is unable to enter the prison until a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result is submitted from the individual’s physician, he added.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 9:00 AM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story inaccurately portrayed the state’s prison worker coronavirus reporting guidelines. Workers are required to submit their vaccination status to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
