RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina Division of Prisons has temporarily suspended operations at Johnston Correctional Institution and have transferred inmates out of the facility.
Staff at the prison will be reassigned to the coronavirus-impacted Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro.
“The staff at Neuse have been working in the toughest conditions, for weeks on end, and desperately needed support,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “They are owed everyone’s thanks for their commitment to serving the public, standing tall in their daily responsibilities and helping ensure safety of their co-workers and those in custody.”
More than 330 offenders and 13 staff members at Neuse Correctional Institution have tested positive for COVID-19. Officials say 98 percent of those cases are asymptomatic.
Another 197 test results are pending.
The first two offenders at Neuse tested positive for COVID-19 on April 2.
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