BUCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. -- Virginia Department of Corrections report more than 200 inmates at Dillwyn Correctional Facility in Buckingham County have tested positive for COVID-19.
A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections confirms 205 inmates have tested positive. Based on the facility's last population report, that's nearly 23 percent of inmates.
Additionally, five staff members have also tested positive.
A spokesperson for the department says Dillwyn is one of several state prisons where inmates who are not showing symptoms are being tested for covid-19.
“In addition to testing symptomatic offenders, the VADOC is conducting point prevalence testing in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, and commercial labs,” said the spokesperson. “This involves testing asymptomatic offenders and enables us to monitor and treat positive cases sooner, rather than after symptoms develop.”
Prisons nationwide are considered problem spots for the infectious disease.
For now, inmates and staff at Dillwyn are required to wear protective gear at all times.