Westmoreland officials said Monday an additional inmate at the county jail tested positive for coronavirus as the overall number of new cases has declined over the last three weeks.
Warden Bryan Kline said there are 17 inmates at Westmoreland County Prison with active cases of the virus during the second outbreak that has hit the Hempfield facility since December. Forty-nine inmates diagnosed over the last month have since recovered.
“We’re going in the right direction,” Kline said, noting that prior to Monday’s diagnosis no inmates had tested positive since April 8.
The jail’s initial outbreak in December resulted in about 150 inmates who tested positive for the virus prior to the cases being cleared in February.
The jail requires all new inmates who enter the facility spend 14 days in quarantine before being sent into general population cells after a negative coronavirus test.
As a result of the decreasing number of new coronavirus infections at the jail, County President Judge Rita Hathaway on Monday rescinded a court order issued March 22 that halted the transfer of inmates to the courthouse and to local magistrate offices.
Inmates will again are being moved to other institutions and for court appearances. Criminal trials are being conducted this week at the courthouse in Greensburg. Hathaway said all inmates who appear this week in court must pass rapid coronavirus tests before they are transported to the courthouse.
During the travel ban, inmates attended court hearings while still in the jail through the use of video conferencing.
