PHOENIX – On Tuesday, 517 inmates at the Whetstone unit of the Arizona State Correctional Complex in Tucson took the COVID-19 test, authorities said.
Positive inmates, who account for nearly a portion of the unit’s population of 1,066 inmates, are accommodated in a combination in separate spaces and receive medical care, according to a statement released Tuesday night through the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation.
The branch did not answer the questions, adding when the tests were performed and whether all the inmates were evaluated there.
The tests came after inmates at the Whetstone Unit staged a peaceful walkout on Thursday due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 inside the facility, according to a report by KOLD-TV in Tucson.
Inmates told staff they wanted to remain on lockdown and have their lunches delivered to them, according to KOLD.
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The 517 new instances constitute a 72% accumulation in COVID-19 instances known through the ministry.
The branch had reported in the past that a total of 890 showed COVID-19 cases among inmates across the state, with 225 tests pending On Monday, when 222 inmates in Tucson tested positive for 690 inmates assessed.
Inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Whetstone unit will not be able to return to the general population until they have a medical license, they said. In addition, all inmates will get food and medicine and mandatory medical facilities at their accommodation.
Since July 2, the branch has internals with facial fabric coatings, according to the statement.
Staff in these spaces also have complete non-public protective equipment, adding masks, gowns, gloves and N-95 face protectors, and all criminal complexes must wear a cloth mask from June 15, according to the statement.
A rigorous cleaning took position on the unit, but will now accumulate due to the verification results, depending on the department.
In June, Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said Arizona would review all inmates, but still proposed a schedule.
The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation reported that 7,121 inmates in the population of 39,262 inmates in the Arizona prison were examined on Monday, or about 18 percent.
According to the department’s COVID-19 scoreboard, about 2.27% of those tested positive for COVID-19, and six deaths were recorded on Monday.
The new instances in the criminal are a significant leap in known instances throughout the county. On Tuesday, Pima County reported 68 new instances of COVID-19, according to the knowledge of the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Follow Audrey Jensen on Twitter: @Audreyj101.