A staff member and an inmate at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex tested positive for COVID-19, and the Colorado Department of Corrections will begin wide-scale testing inside the prison.
The staff member had not worked inside the prison in Chaffee County since June 30, and officials did not know whether the cases are connected, according to a corrections department news release.
Testing will begin Wednesday, the news release said. Because of the two cases, prisoners are being kept inside their cells except for showers and restroom breaks. All meals and medication are being delivered to cells.
Inmates will have access to personal property and mail. The prison will be cleaned multiple times a day, and inmates and staff will wear masks, the news release said.
Inmates who test positive will be quarantined from the general population.