NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Employees at two Tennessee Department of Correction facilities were tested for COVID-19 on Friday. The Tennessee Department of Health said 19 of the employees tested positive and all were asymptomatic at the time of testing.
TDOC staff and contract employees at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville and Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville were each tested, 1,145 people in total. Thirteen of the positive cases were TDOC employees and six were contract employees.
Those who tested positive were notified and referred to their primary care provider. They were asked to seek testing for any close contacts in their homes and to self-isolate for 14 days.
One inmate at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center and two inmates at the Turney Center Industrial Complex have tested positive. TDOC said the department is working to determine any contact they had at both facilities.
All staff and inmates have been given cloth masks and are asked to practice recommendations from the CDC to prevent the spread of the virus.
