As coronavirus spreads in Butner federal prison, NC prisons block new inmates for 2 weeks to curb virus

"We must deny this virus the opportunity to spread," Todd Ishee, commissioner of prisons, said in a statement. "It has gotten into three of our prisons, and we must contain it there to the greatest degree possible. This is imperative for the health and safety of our staff and the men and women who are in our care."

Over the weekend, face masks were distributed to all staff and offenders at the affected prisons.

The federal prison complex in Butner shows what can happen if the virus isn't checked: Cases there have skyrocketed, from 11 reported on Sunday to 59 on Monday, according to local health and federal prison officials.

"It was definitely a big jump to see those numbers increase but I’m not surprised," said Lisa Harrison, health director of Granville Vance Public Health. "I’m not surprised, given that’s where our focus for testing in North Carolina really is right now."

Tia Sumner's son is one of the Butner inmates with COVID-19, the illness associated with the virus.

"We are scared to death. I don’t want this to take him out," Sumner said, noting that he has sickle cell anemia and is frequently in the prison hospital for blood transfusions.

"Considering the fact they knew about this and could have kept him safer from harm – he’s at a medical facility, for crying out loud, so they knew that he was compromised – so they could have taken precautions ahead of time," she said.

Charmain Hampton, whose brother is scheduled to be released from Butner in two months, said she's so worried for his health that she can't sleep at night.

"I hope he can be released sooner, as well as the other inmates with underlying health conditions," Hampton said.

"I’m just hoping and praying that they get these people the help and care that they need until something goes wrong before they do something, because we are all going to want answers. Believe that," Sumner agreed.

As for the state's decision to block new inmate arrivals, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said it will work because the court system is also shut down.

"No Superior Court in the state is going to hear a case where someone is going to be found guilty and sent to state prison, thereby creating a burden on the sheriff for having a backlog in their jail," said Blackwood, who serves as a vice president for the North Carolina Sheriffs Association.

County jails already house an average of seven to 15 state prisoners. It’s a burden for sheriffs, but they say that's not the priority now.

"You got to think it’s not just the inmates we have to worry about but the staff also," Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said. "We’re in very trying times. We have to work together. We have to understand that there is a greater need of public safety than the small needs and money needs and things like that."

"The North Carolina Division of Prisons’ announcement is conducive to the emergency orders and judicial efforts that have been put into place to prevent the virus from spreading and affecting the residents and staff in our facilities," Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker said in a statement, noting that the county has 52 state inmates in its jail.

ACLU calls for releasing inmates so NC prisons don't become virus breeding grounds

The state Division of Prisons also will dramatically cut back on the transfers of inmates within state prisons for two weeks, beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Offenders will continue to be transferred for the following reasons: to comply with court orders, for medical or mental health reasons, for security purposes to address critical incidents within prisons, or to release offenders who have completed their prison sentences.

Prison officials are already shifting inmates scheduled for release over the next two weeks to areas close to their homes, where they will be released in accordance with their individual release plans. No offender will remain incarcerated past a scheduled release date, officials said.

New inmates already have gone through a 14-day quarantine following an initial medical screening for potential COVID-19 symptoms. They will be transferred to their assigned prisons by Tuesday evening, officials said.

Staff medical screenings have been enacted at every prison, including temperature checks, in an additional effort to reduce the chances the virus gets into a prison.

Inmates working for Correction Enterprises are producing face shields, hospital-style gowns and washable face masks. All staff and every inmate will get a face mask once enough are manufactured. In addition, Correction Enterprises is producing large quantities of sanitizer and hand lotion to be used in all the prisons.