Two inmates who were evacuated by bus last week with other inmates from the Coffee Creek Correctional Institution in Wilsonville to the state prison in Madras tested positive for coronavirus on Monday.
The inmates, a man and a woman, had been tested on Sept. 5 and 6 but there was a delay in getting the results from a lab, according to Jennifer Black, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections.
The positive COVID-19 tests and the inmates mixing with others in transports during wildfire emergencies are what lawyers and family members of inmates feared would occur in what they’ve criticized as a haphazard evacuation.
Once the positive results came, the two inmates were immediately isolated and taken back to Coffee Creek from the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution, according to the department.
The department also is accelerating the return of all the transferred Coffee Creek inmates, Black said.
The department is using its own vehicles for the transportation. It will provide personal protective equipment for all inmates and transport staff, and, unlike the initial evacuation, will ensure inmates are given bathroom breaks and meals during the return trip, Black said.
The man with COVID-19 had been tested at the 10-day mark of a 14-day observation period and the woman was tested in light of her anticipated prison release later this month. Neither was displaying symptoms at the time, according to Black.
Between the time they were tested and the wildfire evacuation, the two inmates remained with their units. The woman was housed with her regular unit until evacuation and then was housed in a celled unit once at Deer Ridge, Black said.
But both mixed with other inmates during the hours-long bus rides from Wilsonville to Madras, Black acknowledged.
The Corrections Department will continue to work with local public health authorities and the Oregon Health Authority on testing and contact tracing of inmates upon their return to Coffee Creek and will conduct symptom checks, screening and quarantining of all Coffee Creek inmates, Black said.
Neither of the inmates appear to have had direct contact with the male population at Deer Ridge, Black said. The department “is continuing to monitor for symptoms and is conducting regular screenings” at the Madras prison, she said.
Attorney Meghan Bishop, who represents Voycetta White, a 41-year-old inmate who was moved to Deer Ridge from Coffee Creek, said she’s concerned that a scheduled surgery for White will be delayed again because of the potential COVID-19 exposure.
Her client also was told that inmates will face a two-week quarantine once they return to Coffee Creek, further delaying any potential visits from family. White is serving time for identity theft and robbery.
“I’m significantly concerned about the physical risks and exposure," Bishop said. "Everything us attorneys have been concerned about and shouting from the rooftops for the last week has come to fruition.”
As of Tuesday, there have been six Oregon inmates who have died from COVID-19 and 907 confirmed positive cases, according to the department’s website. There are two tests pending of inmates at Deer Ridge.
There have been 230 staff members who have tested positive, with 196 who have recovered.
-- Maxine Bernstein
Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212
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