GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- Wisconsin prison officials say Wisconsin Department of Corrections, along with the Wisconsin National Guard, began a second round of testing for COVID-19 at Green Bay Correctional Institution on Tuesday.
DOC reports coronavirus cases at the facility have risen to 57 in the past week.
The DOC said it conducted previous coronavirus testing at all Wisconsin facilities earlier this summer. Testing at Green Bay over the next two days is part of a second round of testing. The DOC says the testing is prioritizing facilities with higher case numbers and those in communities with an elevated number of cases.
The DOC said it has worked to prepare for an increase in positive cases. DOC officials cite Waupun Correctional Institution, where mass testing confirmed an elevated number of cases in late spring. The number of cases at WCI eventually climbed to 228. The DOC said the facility took steps to prevent further spread, and a second round of mass testing in late July found zero positive cases, the DOC says. The previous cases at WCI have since recovered.
According to the DOC, the Green Bay facility has implemented changes to prevent further spread of the virus, including replacing visitation with virtual visits and imposing mask mandates for both staff and inmates.
