COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 Updates

PAGE UPDATED: 03/14/2022

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) is working collaboratively with state partners to address Coronavirus in Utah.

 

The safety of incarcerated individuals or those on supervision, along with our staff, volunteers and others who interact directly with our Department, is paramount.

 

As Coronavirus cases in Utah continue to increase, please know that we have outbreak strategies in place, which include prompt medical care and testing, and quarantining or isolating staff or incarcerated individuals. These updates will be shared via this webpage and social media.

 

For more information on the virus, and for state-related updates, please visit the website:
https://coronavirus.utah.gov/.

 

In March 2021, the Utah Health Emergency Response Team (UHERT) visited the Utah State Prison in Draper and the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison to review current COVID-19 operating procedures. You can see the report here: https://corrections.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UHERT_Prison_Summary_2.pdf

LATEST UPDATES:

January 18, 2022

As of January 18, there are 90 active cases of COVID-19 at the Utah State Prison (USP) in Draper and 42 active cases at the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF) in Gunnison. Outbreaks are currently present at the Promontory Facility at the Utah State Prison in Draper, and Hickory and Dogwood at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison. Other areas at both facilities may be on quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure, including Timpanogos, Wasatch and the Uintas, and Ironwood at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.

 

There are also active cases of COVID-19 at all community correctional centers: six active cases at the Fortitude Treatment Center, eight active cases at the Atherton Community Correctional Center, six active cases at the Bonneville Community Correctional Center, five active cases at Northern Utah Community Correctional Center and five active cases at the Orange Street Community Correctional Center.

 

Individuals are being housed appropriately based on quarantine and isolation protocols. Please note that out-of-cell time may be greatly limited in areas most impacted by the recently confirmed cases.

 

The Department continues to review each case and offer recommended treatment for COVID-19 positive individuals; generally treatment includes rest and over the counter medications to decrease symptoms. The COVID-19 vaccine and the booster shots are continuing to be offered to incarcerated individuals at the Utah State Prison in Draper and the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, including all intakes.

 

Incarcerated individuals who have not been vaccinated can request a vaccination by submitting an Inmate Care Request form (ICR), which is available in their housing units. Vaccination rates are anywhere from 60 to 92 percent depending on the facility. For example, the Oquirrh 5 facility where many of our most medically fragile are housed is at a 92 percent vaccination rate.

 

Vaccines and other treatments are not mandatory but are offered and encouraged.

 

UDC continues to work with state and local health officials regarding COVID-19 protocols. The Department continues to adhere to CDC protocols.

 

As a reminder, the Department provides on-site medical care through the Clinical Services Bureau, which operates infirmaries at both the Utah State Prison and the Central Utah Correctional Facility. The infirmaries offer comprehensive, on-site medical care where medical staff can treat or stabilize inmates needing health care. Mental health services are also available to incarcerated individuals as needed.

 

The Bureau also contracts with outside hospitals and clinics for treatment of seriously ill inmates who require advanced medical care or require evaluation or care from a specialist. Any incarcerated individual who exhibits concerning symptoms outside the resources of our medical providers will receive care at a nearby hospital.

 

Our medical staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In areas of an outbreak our medical staff have an active presence on those units at least twice a day to check-in with incarcerated individuals. Individuals who are already medically compromised (outside of COVID-19), have standardly had a greater medical presence and are actively monitored.

 

Any incarcerated individual that communicates any discomfort will be given access to medications required or any other treatment required. As a reminder, the only way to share an incarcerated individual’s medical information with a family member is through an Authorization to Formally Discuss Health Information Form. Incarcerated individuals can request this form from their housing officer or case manager.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

 

If you have additional questions, please contact the Department’s COVID-19 Hotline at 801-545-5505 or email corrections@utah.gov. Please expect that your call will go to a recording system, but we ask that you please leave a detailed message and we will get back to you as soon as we possibly can.

 

January 10, 2022: In-person Hearings Temporarily Suspended

Due to public health concerns surrounding COVID-19, in-person hearings at either of Utah’s prison sites have been suspended. Individuals will still be able to listen to live broadcasts as hearings occur at the following address: https://bop.utah.gov/hearings_live_stream. If you had planned on participating in a hearing in person, please contact our Victim Coordinator at 801-261-6464 to arrange an option to participate virtually. We will keep this ALERT updated.

 

January 6, 2022_In-person visiting suspended

In the wake of increasing COVID-19 cases in Utah, in-person visiting has been suspended at both the Utah State Prison and Central Utah Correctional Facility.

 

Officials with the Utah Department of Corrections do not anticipate that this will be a long-term suspension.

 

If you have scheduled a visiting appointment, please do not show up. Our visiting team is attempting to make contact with those who have scheduled an appointment.

 

As positive test results in the community have skyrocketed recently, so too have the number of cases increased among inmates and UDC staff members. Despite adhering to COVID-19 protocols based on CDC recommendations and in coordination with state and local health officials, COVID-19 is pervasive and still manages to find its way into UDC facilities. Several housing units at both facilities are currently on quarantine status.

 

The latest strain — Omicron — is considered more contagious than prior strains. As prisons are considered a congregate living environment this oftentimes requires lengthier isolation and quarantine protocols then what is standardly seen in the community for both staff and the incarcerated.

 

Please note that these measures are put in place with careful consideration and in close collaboration with state and local health officials.

 

The Department will continue to provide regular updates on its website and on social media.

 

Contact

Have specific questions regarding COVID-19 and your incarcerated family member or friend?


Please contact our hotline at 801-545-5505.



COVID-19 Updates

Page updated 06/29/2021

Visit coronavirus.utah.gov for statewide information.

See updates below in the “Latest Update” section for more information regarding outbreaks at the Utah State Prison in Draper and the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.

Have specific questions regarding COVID-19 and your incarcerated family member or friend?
Please contact our hotline at 801-545-5505.  

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UTAH RESPONSE:

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) is working collaboratively with state partners — including the Lieutenant Governor’s task force — to address Coronavirus in Utah.

The safety of incarcerated individuals or those on supervision, along with our staff, volunteers and others who interact directly with our Department, is paramount.

As Coronavirus cases in Utah continue to increase, please know that we have outbreak strategies in place, which include prompt medical care and testing, and quarantining or isolating staff or incarcerated individuals. These updates will be shared via this webpage and social media.

For more information on the virus, and for state-related updates, please visit the website:
https://coronavirus.utah.gov/.

Learn more extensively about the many steps UDC has taken to ensure the safety and health of incarcerated individuals and those on supervision with the Department here: https://le.utah.gov/interim/2020/pdf/00002842.pdf

 

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THE NUMBERS:

Total Confirmed Offender Cases to Date by Location

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*State and county jail incarcerated individuals are tracked together and totals would need to be requested from each county jail.

 **At this time, the University of Utah Hospital requires that any inmate being transported to a hospital for any kind of care to be tested for COVID-19.

**Starting May 20, 2020, prison intakes will be limited to Wednesdays. These will include intakes from all county jails and from Adult Probation & Parole. In direct consultation with local health officials, it was decided that these individuals will be in a cohort together for two weeks, and will each be tested for COVID-19 within 24-48 hours of arrival. Those who decline to be tested will be placed in a designated, separate area for two weeks. Please note that this increase in testing each week will reflect a spike in the overall number of inmates tested at the Utah State Prison in Draper and possibly a marginal increase at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.

Updated 06/25/2021 (COVID-19 case counts will be updated at least once per week).

Total Confirmed Staff Cases: 416

Total Recovered Staff Cases: 411

Updated 06/29/2021

 

 

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LATEST UPDATES:                                                               

06/18/2021

Three staff members working in the Olympus Facility at the Utah State Prison in Draper have tested positive for COVID-19. The facility has been placed on quarantine. Visiting, and volunteer and religious services have been cancelled for the weekend.
Testing will be initiated. Only a few individuals out of the 124 incarcerated individuals housed at the Olympus Facility have not received a COVID-19 vaccination. All incarcerated individuals have been offered the COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 70 percent of incarcerated individuals have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Utah State Prison in Draper.

06/16/2021

Beginning June 18, 2021, the Utah Department of Corrections will resume in-person visitation.

Each inmate will be allowed one (1) 40-minute in-person visit or one (1) 30-minute tablet visit per month. Visits must be scheduled in advanced and can be done here.

Loved ones wishing to visit in person must follow our normal visiting rules and those needed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To facilitate a safe visiting process, up to two (2) visitors at a time will be allowed. The following requirements will also need to be met by all visitors:

  • Will need to be 18 and above
  • Live in the same household (must be verified)
  • Must not have been out of the country in the last 30 days
  • Must not have been around anyone with Covid-19 for the last 14 days
  • Must have a temperature less than 100 degrees when arriving on prison property
  • Must wear a mask
  • No physical contact between inmates and visitors will be permitted

Due to the closure over the last year, please verify that you have current approval to visit by contacting the facility.

If you have any questions, please contact 801-576-7013.

Click here to see the video and in-person visiting schedules and to schedule a visit.

Learn more about video visiting here: https://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/2014-10-30-20-13-24/14-visiting-information/1264-video-visiting

06/03/2021

The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) recently released examination results for two offenders who died while in the custody of the Utah Department of Corrections.

The OME has determined that two additional fatalities were COVID-19 related.

The total number of COVID-related deaths now stands at 18 incarcerated individuals, housed either at the Utah State Prison (USP) in Draper or the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison (CUCF). Many of the 18 had other complicating comorbidities listed in the OME reports as contributing to their death.

In an effort to respect and maintain individual’s private medical information, UDC will not be releasing specific information on the additional deaths. However, both occurred in December 2020.

The public website’s COVID-19 tracker has been updated to reflect the two additional COVID-19 related deaths.

05/24/2021

As of May 20, 2021, 58% percent of the state’s incarcerated population housed at either USP in Draper, CUCF in Gunnison or as a state inmate housed at a county jail, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Utah Department of Corrections will continue to offer vaccinations to those who would like to receive one. New intakes will be offered the COVID-19 vaccination as staffing and vaccines are available.

04/30/2021

Utah Corrections to Resume In-Person Visits and Volunteer Services in June

Utah Corrections to Resume In-Person Visits and Volunteer Services in June After more than a year, UDC will resume in-person visits and volunteer services in early June Starting in early June, in-person visiting, and volunteer and religious services, will resume at the Utah State Prison (USP) in Draper and the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF) in Gunnison.

“Our incarcerated population have not seen their family in-person for more than a year,” said Brian Nielson, executive director for the Utah Department of Corrections. “Throughout this pandemic the incarcerated have shown great fortitude in adhering to COVID-19 guidelines in order to help slow the spread of the virus.”

Visits and services will roll out in a phased approach in order to adhere closely to COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing, face coverings, temperature checks and screening questions.

“We appreciate state and local health officials for their continued support and guidance on navigating the pandemic,” Nielson said. “And finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank our incredible staff who have worked diligently to make this happen, and have been nimble since the outset of the pandemic to adapt to ongoing changes.”

In March 2020, all in-person visiting was suspended and supplemented with 10 free 15-minute phone calls per week.

The Department plans to continue providing video visits when in-person visiting resumes.

For those planning in-person visits, visitor applications must be approved. Find more information here: https://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/family-friends/how-to

Volunteers can communicate with the Department’s programming division by emailing udc_vrs@utah.gov.

04/29/2021

Utah Department of Corrections Reaches COVID-19 Vaccine Milestone

As of today, all incarcerated individuals at the Utah State Prison (USP) in Draper and at the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF) in Gunnison have been offered at least one COVID19 vaccination, aside from recent intakes.

More than 2,659 individuals have been fully vaccinated, which accounts for USP, CUCF and state incarcerated individuals housed at a county jail.

“In regards to the pandemic, we have reached several huge milestones for Corrections,” said Brian Nielson, executive director for the Utah Department of Corrections. “We are excited to see a gradual return to normalcy as we continue to work closely with state and local health officials on steps moving forward.”

The Utah Department of Corrections will continue to offer vaccinations to those who would like to receive one. New intakes will be offered the COVID-19 vaccination as staffing and vaccines are available.

There are no active cases of COVID-19 at either USP or CUCF.

 

 

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faqs iconspast updates

 

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COMMUNICATIONS TO INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS: 

May 2021 Newsletter

January 2021 Newsletter

October 2020 Newsletter

November 2020 Newsletter

July 2020 Newsletter

May 2020 Newsletter

April 2020 Newsletter

COVID-19 Initial Guidance April 2020



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