NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Correction is assessing whether to test inmates at two state prisons after 19 staffers and contract workers tested positive for the coronavirus last weekend at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville and Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville.
Officials say 1,145 workers at the two prisons were tested in the joint effort by the Tennessee Department of Health and Tennessee Department of the Military.
The 13 state and six contract employees who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus were notified of the results and referred to their primary care provider.
Workers were also advised to seek testing for any close contacts in their homes and to self-isolate for 14 days.
Asked whether the state intends to test inmates at the two prisons as a result, TDOC spokesman Robert Reburn told the Times Free Press in an email that "in conjunction with the Department of Health, we are evaluating the process of testing inmates. A decision has not been made at this time."
The Times Free Press reported over the weekend that at least two nurses and a doctor left their jobs at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex after they were told they couldn't wear protective masks while working inside. The prison houses more than 2,500 inmates.
At the state prison in Bledsoe, Dr. Emma Rich told the Times Free Press she first brought up the subject of wearing personal protective equipment for use with inmates who had not tested positive for COVID-19 on March 31.
Rich said she was told not to wear a mask despite recent concerns about COVID-19 exposure involving a vendor at the prison and inmates. She works for Centurion, a state contractor.
"That mask is as much for their protection as it is mine," Rich said. "To not allow the mitigation of risk with proven methods is unconscionable."
Jennifer Baril, a traveling nurse who formerly supervised the infirmary and clinic inside the Bledsoe prison, told the Times Free Press she recentlty quit after being told she couldn't wear a protective mask while treating and interacting with inmates.
"I even brought my own personal N95 mask to work and I was told to remove it and to put it through the detector," Baril said, citing the very "public" nature of the prison's metal detecting machines and the potential for contamination. She was very reluctant to use her own mask then, even if allowed, she said.
According to TDOC, all 19 staffers and contract workers who tested positive over the weekend were asymptomatic. Ten were staffers at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex while nine worked at Northwest Correctional Complex. The six contract workers were all employed at Northwest Correctional.
TDOC officials say they are now conducting contact tracing at both facilities to determine with whom those testing positive had come into contact.
Disinfection and safety measures are ongoing as well. And all guards, other workers and inmates have received cloth masks. They're also being reminded to continue practicing recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as state health officials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In Tennessee's state prisons, TDOC officials recently announced that one inmate at the CoreCivic-operated Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville has tested positive. Two inmates at the Turney Center Industrial Complex in Only, Tenn., have tested positive.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.