RICHMOND, Va. — Anxiety among family members of inmates in Virginia prisons skyrocketed this week after the state Department of Corrections announced the first confirmed coronavirus cases.
Prison officials said four inmates, four staff members, and a nurse tested positive.
Families and inmate advocates fear this could be just the beginning of a massive outbreak in prisons around the state. They’re particularly worried about women’s prisons: two that already have confirmed cases and another that houses inmates with serious health issues but has a history of providing inadequate medical care.
Virginia’s top public safety official has said law enforcement is doing all it can to respond to the pandemic.
