Apr 29, 2020

Third Nebraska prisons employee tests positive for COVID-19

Posted Apr 29, 2020 12:39 PM

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A third Nebraska prisons department employee has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the state Department of Correctional Services.

The staffer works at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln and has been isolated at home, a news release from the department said Tuesday. Department Director Scott Frakes asked that anyone who may have had close contact with the employee in the last three days to self-quarantine until they are medically cleared to return to work.

Earlier Tuesday, the prisons department had announced that an employee at its Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln had tested positive for the virus. The department says no inmates have tested positive.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.

The latest state prison related case comes as Nebraska saw a a surge in coronavirus infections in recent days, according to public health data this week.

Nebraska's total confirmed cases stood at 3,374 by Wednesday morning, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. There have been at least 55 virus-related deaths in the Nebraska since the outbreak.