Connell prison COVID cases twice as high as any other Washington corrections center

The state prison in Connell now has more than twice the number of coronavirus cases of any corrections center in Washington state.

As of Thursday, 40 inmates and 12 employees tested positive for COVID at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center.

The outbreak grew by 12 cases at the medium and minimum security facility since Monday. It’s the only state facility where cases have been increasing.

The prison was in its eighth day of a 10-day quarantine for the 1,860 inmates. State officials were hoping to contain the outbreak with a quarantine.

The department previously reported moving 14 people to Airway Heights Corrections Center in Spokane for treatment. And prison officials were testing people as they become symptomatic.

Coyote Ridge still has the most cases of coronavirus in the 14 prisons, including Monroe Correctional Complex, which was the scene of a uprising in April over health worries. The Monroe facility had 18 positive cases, according to the state.

Before the outbreak, prison officials said they were asking inmates to maintain a 6-foot distance from each other, and are requiring correctional officers to wear masks.

The state also reduced the statewide prison population, including the expected release of 50 convicted Tri-Cities felons from state prisons.