LITTLE ROCK (AP) – Arkansas’ prisons went into lockdown because of an increase in virus cases among staff.State Corrections Secretary Solomon Graves said all non-essential movement within or between facilities will be suspended until at least Jan. 15. The department said it will evaluate at that time whether to extend the lockdown.
The number of employees who had tested positive and were on leave increased from 139 on Dec. 22 to 192 on Tuesday, the department said.
“The goal of this lockdown is to lessen the impact of the increase in community cases,” Graves said in a statement.
A pilot program at four prisons allowing visitation to resume will be suspended during the lockdown, the department said. Only emergency intakes of inmates will be scheduled during the lockdown.
Arkansas has had one of the highest infection rates of prisoners in the country, according to data compiled by the Marshall Project and The Associated Press. More than 10,000 inmates have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.
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