A coronavirus case now has reached a central San Joaquin Valley prison

A prison that’s located in the central San Joaquin Valley received its first confirmed case of the coronavirus.

An employee at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran tested positive for COVID-19, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) revealed on its website Wednesday.

That brings the total number of coronavirus cases among staff in the California prison system to nine.

The California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran is located in Kings County.

Kings County is the only county in the central San Joaquin Valley that has not yet reported a positive case of the coronavirus.

Counties, however, typically report cases involving their residents.

And California prison employees sometimes live in different areas than where their facility is located.

Steps taken at CDCR

CDCR has implemented mandatory verbal screening for every person entering any work location since March 14, in line with screenings in place at prisons.

Those attempting to enter a state prison or office building at any time are required to verbally respond if they currently have new or worsening symptoms of a respiratory illness. If the individual’s response is that they are experiencing symptoms, they will be restricted from entering the site that day.

CDCR also stated that all of its institutions have been instructed to conduct additional deep-cleaning efforts in high-traffic, high-volume areas, including visiting and health care facilities. Additional hand sanitizer dispensing stations are placed inside adult institution entrances and visiting areas.

Staff have been granted permission to carry up to two ounces of personal-use hand sanitizer. The incarcerated population is being provided extra soap when requested and hospital-grade disinfectant that meets Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for COVID-19.

This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 8:48 PM with the headline "A coronavirus case now has reached a central San Joaquin Valley prison."