Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

First inmate tests positive for COVID-19 in Nevada prison system

High Desert State Prison

AP Photo / John Locher

This April 15, 2015, photo shows guard towers at High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs.

Updated Wednesday, May 20, 2020 | 6:18 p.m.

The Nevada Department of Corrections today reported the first coronavirus infection of an inmate in the state’s prison system.

The inmate at High Desert State Prison, an asymptomatic COVID-19 carrier, did not interact with the general prison population before testing positive on Monday, officials said.

His cellmate has since been isolated in the prison’s infirmary, officials said. It wasn’t clear if that inmate had been tested for COVID-19 or if he had interacted with other inmates.

While this is the first prisoner to test positive, 19 Department of Corrections employees have been diagnosed with the virus, including four at High Desert, officials said.

The infected inmate arrived April 22 at the prison, about 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas, from the Clark County Detention Center, officials said.

He was being held at an intake unit, where he was undergoing a mental, physical and health screening, officials said.

Prison policy dictates new inmates remain in the intake unit for at least 20 days, allowing a two-week incubation period for COVID-19 symptoms to appear, officials said.

On Monday, the inmate was taken to a hospital for unrelated medical care and tested positive for the virus, officials said.

“Our top priority is the health of staff and offenders at our facilities,” Department of Corrections Director Charles Daniels said in a news release. “Our response is deliberate and in accordance with agency contingency plans and protocols. Now that we have a confirmed offender case, our next goal is mitigating and preventing the spread of the virus.”

Nevada’s prison system has been working with state health officials on a testing plan for all inmates, officials said.

“This plan, which is being finalized and will be implemented soon, aligns with the state's goal to increase testing statewide and protect vulnerable populations,” the news release said.

To mitigate the spread of the novel virus, the American Civil Liberties Union has been calling for the release of vulnerable inmates at jails, prisons and immigration detention centers. It has also asked officials for mass coronavirus testing for staff at facilities and inmates.

“This is a moment we feared but expected," ACLU of Nevada Director Sherrie Royster said in a written statement. "NDOC has announced that its next goal is mitigating and preventing the spread of the virus, and we are perplexed because that should have been NDOC’s primary focus all along.

"We will continue to monitor NDOC’s response to this virus and will explore all options to ensure that proper steps are taken to protect people who are incarcerated from COVID-19,” she concluded.