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Juneau’s newest COVID-19 case is a staff member at Lemon Creek Correctional Center

April 10, 2020 – News

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has reported one new case of COVID-19 in Juneau. The Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) announced last night the new Juneau case is a staff member working at Lemon Creek Correctional Center. This is the first staff member within DOC who has tested positive for the virus. The source of the virus is pending investigation.

Once notified, DOC says Lemon Creek Correctional immediately implemented the DOC Response Plan and took swift action to protect the health and welfare of inmates and staff at the facility. The plan involves instituting medical and environmental safety measures, including quarantine and isolation procedures, with the purpose of preventing the spread of disease within the DOC population or into the Juneau community. The Department of Corrections is working closely with the Alaska Section of Epidemiology to facilitate the contact investigation.

Lemon Creek Correctional staff and inmates were informed of the positive case yesterday. The facility has 219 inmates and 85 staff working four different shifts. According to the DOC, two Lemon Creek Correctional inmates have been tested for COVID-19 – 1 was negative and 1 is pending results. DOC says all inmates and staff at Lemon Creek Correctional have been issued cloth face coverings.

Juneau has now had 15 cumulative cases – five cases are a result of community transmission, eight secondary, one travel, and the newest case is pending investigation. Nine of the 15 cases have recovered.

For more local news, information, and resources to help keep Juneau safe and healthy, go to juneau.org/covid-19.