DRAPER, Utah — The Utah State Prison in Draper is currently under a code-red lockdown due to the possibility of a second COVID-19 outbreak within the facility.
The lockdown will remain in effect for the next 24 hours.
Prison officials say two inmates housed in the same part of the facility claimed to have coronavirus symptoms Thursday night, although their test results came back negative. On Friday, another inmate in Oquirrh 5 reported symptoms and tested positive.
Later Friday, an inmate housed in the Promontory Facility, another section of the prison, also tested positive.
"We are deeply concerned about this latest outbreak." said prison officials in a statement. "Oquirrh 5 is where our most medically vulnerable incarcerated individuals reside and it’s where we’ve taken the greatest precautions since the beginning of the pandemic to keep them safe."
The prison says it is working with the Utah Health Department and the Utah Department of Public Safety as staff work to isolate and quarantine those who may have been in contact with the inmates.
Officials say no other incarcerated individuals in either section of the prison are currently exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
Earlier this month, the Utah Department of Corrections announced that 196 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 at the prison, nearly 60 percent of the population in the facility's A-Block.