MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – The Alabama Department of Corrections reported Thursday that two more inmates and four more employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
The prison system said in a news release that a total of 55 staff members, including contract staff, and 11 inmates have so far tested positive for the virus. Ten of the staff members have returned to work after recovering. Two inmate cases remain active.
The latest two inmates to test positive had been housed for an extended period in the infirmary at Kilby Correctional Facility for treatment of preexisting medical conditions. The inmates have been transferred to a hospital.
The prison system says the infirmary at Kilby has been quarantined.
As of Thursday, more than 16,000 people had tested positive for coronavirus in the state and 580 people have died, according to numbers from the Alabama Department of Public Health. More than 5,000 of the cases were reported in the last two weeks.