W
hile officials focused on the threat that Thanksgiving gatherings could add to already spiking COVID-19 cases, a huge Inland Northwest outbreak was already starting among people who aren t in control of their meals or gatherings: inmates. By the first week of December, it was clear that the virus had started spreading at Airway Heights Corrections Center, a prison run by the state Department of Corrections. Soon after, the Spokane County-run Geiger Corrections Center also had to create a quarantine unit for its own outbreak. Within days, the number of positive cases exploded. While officials had only reported seven cases at the state prison from the start of the pandemic to Thanksgiving week, by Friday, Dec. 11, there were 792 cumulative cases and 1,535 inmates in the main facility. (Another 365 are housed in a separate minimum security building.) By Monday, Dec. 14, there were 869 cumulative cases.
KXLY
December 14, 2020 4:57 PM Connor Sarles
Updated:
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AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. The COVID-19 outbreak at the Airway Heights Corrections Center has now swelled to 869 people infected by the virus.
This surge in cases has happened in just a matter of weeks, but despite this, the Department of Health says it is not coordinating a COVID-19 response with the Department of Corrections (DOC).
Family members of inmates have told 4 News Now about the poor living conditions at the facility in Airway Heights, saying inmates are being deprived of hot food and showers in an effort to curb the spread.
AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. The situation at Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC) has become increasingly dire, as an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus swept through the facility, causing 779 positive cases in just eight days. Of the roughly 2,200 inmates housed at Airway Heights, one in three have tested positive for the virus. The outbreak has caused family members to fear for the safety of their loved ones isolated in the cells.Â
Since the initial outbreak on Dec. 1, KHQ has received dozens of calls and messages from inmates, family members, and concerned citizens regarding the living conditions at the facilities. One of those messages came from DeeDee Blevins, the mother of an inmate at AHCC who says her son only has 68 days left on his sentence. However, her son s medical conditions make those last few months very dangerous for him.Â
Inmates at the Airway Heights Corrections Center are restricted from showering, using phones and accessing the day room due to strict safety protocols in light of a COVID outbreak that