After 90 inmates test positive for coronavirus, latest mass testing results at Chesapeake jail are optimistic

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) -- After a coronavirus outbreak at the Chesapeake Correctional Center, there's some optimistic news.

Last week, 10 On Your Side reported 90 inmates and six deputies had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Facility-wide testing ordered Nov. 18 results came in Monday. They tested 859 inmates and 360 employees.

There were no new positive cases of COVID-19, according to a facility spokeswoman. Of the mass testing, 10 inmates had inconclusive tests and one test was "invalid."

One additional employee tested positive. The rest of the correctional staff and court personnel were negative.

"While these results are thankfully lower than we anticipated, Sheriff O’Sullivan wants to reassure the public that we are committed to preventing the spread of the virus in our facility," the sheriff's office wrote on its website in a Nov. 23 update.

The facility has also taken steps to reduce the risk of transmission inside the facility, including:

• Increasing sanitation around the sheriff's office buildings.
• Requiring medical screenings and 14-day quarantine for new inmates
• Requiring temperature and symptom checks for employees reporting to work
• Mandating masks for employees during their shifts and inmates when they aren't in their housing unit
• Giving inmates education about the coronavirus and CDC recommendations
• Limiting exposure by closing the facility to the public, canceling the Weekender Program and suspending most workforce programs

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