Department of Corrections reports outbreaks at Rockwell City, Anamosa state prisons

ROCKWELL — A large-scale COVID-19 outbreak is reported at the state prison in Rockwell City.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa Department of Corrections, over 200 inmates at the North Central Correctional Facility have tested positive. The state says that 254 of the 400 inmates at the prison in Rockwell City have tested positive. That’s a positivity rate of over 63%.

Four staff members have tested positive and three of them have recovered, according to corrections. Volunteer activity and inmate visits have been suspended in an effort to help mitigate the spread.

Late last week, state prison officials reported a COVID-19 outbreak that had infected nearly half of the inmates at the Anamosa state prison. An Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman said testing revealed 476 inmates among 985 at the prison tested positive for the virus. A report provided by the department indicates 37 staff members also tested positive.