December 17 2020
One in 6 inmates at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution and 1 in 10 workers have active cases of novel coronavirus.
A surge in COVID cases has infected more than one in every six inmates at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution east of Madras. The influx of cases began Dec. 1. Out of 675 inmates at DRCI, 110 have tested positive for the coronavirus. Out of 200 employees, 26 have tested positive, an infection rate of more than one in 10.
The current number of active cases at Deer Ridge far surpasses the active cases at any other prison in Oregon. All other prisons in Oregon combined have 67 cases. Most prisons have no cases, some have two or three. The Columbia River Correctional Institution comes the closest with 39 COVID cases.
December 16 2020
Nearly 1 in 6 inmates at DRCI and 1 in 10 workers have active cases at Madras correctional institution
A surge in COVID cases has infected more than one in every six inmates at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution east of Madras. The influx of cases began Dec. 1. Out of 675 inmates at DRCI, 110 have tested positive for the coronavirus. Out of 200 employees, 26 have tested positive, an infection rate of more than one in 10.
The current number of active cases at Deer Ridge far surpasses the active cases at any other prison in Oregon. All other prisons in Oregon combined have 67 cases. Most prisons have no cases, some have two or three. The Columbia River Correctional Institution comes the closest with 39 COVID cases.
Thanksgiving gatherings pump the COVID stats
DRCI and holiday groupings spike Jefferson County to its highest one-day case count
Two factors are pushing COVID cases to record levels in Jefferson County: the outbreak at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution and people gathering around the Thanksgiving holiday.
The daily case count hit 52 on Dec. 10, the highest since the pandemic began. Of that total, positive tests at DCRI accounts for 27; the other 25 cases come from the general community. I would say it does appear to be a result of people gathering during the last two weeks, says Jefferson County Public Health Director Michael Baker, around that holiday time.
SALEM â Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is set to commute the sentences of approximately 130 Oregon prison inmates this week. Some are at high risk for COVID-19 while others are being released to create more space in the stateâs prisons. The inmates are expected to be released from prisons Thursday, Dec. 17.
At the beginning of the month, Brown said inmates with six months left on their sentences and who meet certain criteria are eligible for having their sentences commuted. Previously, only inmates with two months left on their sentences were eligible.
State officials could not immediately confirm an exact figure on the latest round of releases Dec. 14.
Inmate is first to die of COVID-19 at Deer Ridge in Madras bendbulletin.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bendbulletin.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.