Prison bureau prepares list of inmates due to move
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LISBON -- Columbiana County case totals for those testing positive for coronavirus surpassed the 250 mark, but there were no new deaths reported on Thursday by the county health department.
However, in an obituary received by the Journal on Thursday night, a Salem couple in their 80s, Marilyn and Arlan Mason, may be the latest victims of the virus.
The number of inmates infected with COVID-19 at the FCI-Elkton, 2,400 inmate low security prison, remains the same with 49 inmates and 49 staff members testing positive. Seven inmates have died after testing positive for coronavirus.
In the battle to get more inmates releases from the prison, a list was released Thursday morning by the federal Bureau of Prisons containing the names of 837 inmates at the FCI-Elkton Federal Prison who should be on the way to being released or transferred according to cleveland.com.
The inmates on the list reportedly meet standards set by U.S. District Judge James Gwin, who ordered the bureau to identify inmates 65 years and older and those with certain pre-existing conditions, which could leave them vulnerable to serious illness if the contract COVID-19.
Gwin had ordered the prison bureau to release the list on April 23, but instead the BOP had appealed the decision. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied a final request by the BOP to halt the order and the list was filed with the court by 8 a.m.
Joseph Mayle, president of the local union representing 280 of the 320 prison employees, said there are 80 inmates currently in quarantine, which are mostly inmates the BOP plans to move if they are symptom free after 14 days.
Additionally, Mayle reports 20 inmates are currently hospitalized, which is down from the highest number of 44 hospitalized due to coronavirus symptoms at one time.
Mayle said Thursday the prison is preparing to start mass testing inmates, beginning with the inmates who will be leaving within the next two weeks. According to Mayle there are about 43 inmates scheduled to leave, either to be placed on house arrest or due to them reaching their full terms completion on April 9.
The lawsuit to gain the list had been filed by the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union following concerns raised about whether the BOP is doing enough to protect the 150,000 inmates serving time in federal facilities. Throughout the federal system 32 inmates have died.
Figures provided by the BOP show that out of 2,700 tests systemwide, nearly 2,000 have come back positive. The BOP figures on Thursday lists 1,692 federal inmates and 349 BOP staff currently have confirmed positive test results nationwide, while 426 inmates and 132 staff members have recovered from COVID.
Overall throughout Columbiana County there have been 24 deaths blamed on the virus and there are now 251 accumulative cases. Statewide, the cases rose to 18,027 with 3,533 hospitalizations and 975 deaths.
djohnson@mojonews.com
Tom Giambroni contributed to this story.