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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- About 90 Blair County Prison inmates who previously tested negative for COVID-19 are in the process of being tested again, Warden Abbie Tate told the county prison board Thursday.
With 132 inmates having tested positive for COVID-19, the county prison remains in what Tate calls a "modified lockdown," which restricts inmate movement within the facility as a way to keep the coronavirus from spreading.
As new COVID-19 test results come back for the inmates who previously tested negative, the prison staff will evaluate the situation and decide if more out-of-cell time can be granted, Tate said.
In the meantime, the lockdown also means the prison and the county court will need to continue to rely on computerized video connections for inmates attempting to address criminal charges in court proceedings.
While the courthouse and the prison have established a link allowing video communication between the facilities, that wasn't an acceptable option Tuesday for two inmates who asked to be sentenced in person, a reflection of their constitutional rights.
Because of the lockdown, they were not transported from the prison to the courthouse, so their sentencing hearings were canceled and will have to be rescheduled.
The prison's COVID-19 outbreak started in late November, at a time when Blair County's case numbers were climbing.
"We were blessed that we had no positive inmates until Thanksgiving," Controller A.C. Stickel said. "But now we're at 132, a significant increase."
Meanwhile, the prison's kitchen is operating again with an inmate crew handling meal preparation, Tate reported to the prison board.
On Dec. 4, the prison began depending on the operators of Prime Sirloin to prepare inmate meals. The temporary arrangement was prompted by a COVID-19 outbreak among inmates assigned to work in the prison kitchen. County commissioners, during their Dec. 8 meeting, publicly addressed the arrangement and authorized a contract with the Prime Sirloin operators.
District Attorney Pete Weeks, who sits on the prison board, commended those involved for addressing the development. He also suggested that perhaps the prison board should have a contingency plan, with steps to be taken in this kind of situation.
Stickel also recognized recent efforts by court and court-related personnel that have contributed to a drop in the prison's population.
Deputy Warden James McMahon advised the board that, as of Thursday, the prison was housing 221 inmates, including 185 men and 36 women. That's down from November's lowest population of 267.
Between Nov. 9 and Dec. 14, the prison released 159 inmates and admitted 83 new ones, McMahon said.
The prison's highest population this year was reported in March, at 387 inmates. Efforts to reduce that population in response to COVID-19 allowed the inmate population to fall within a month. In April, the prison was housing an average of 252 inmates a day.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.