COVID-19 causes 2-week lockdown at women’s prison in Las Vegas

A two-week lockdown triggered by COVID-19 at a state women’s prison in northern Las Vegas was lifted last week following widespread testing of the inmate population, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections.

Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center, 4370 Smiley Road, was placed on lockdown July 24 after a prison employee “who had widespread interaction with inmates” tested positive for the respiratory illness, department spokesman Scott Kelley confirmed Monday.

Testing was conducted between July 25 and 27, and inmates were kept in isolation until the results came back, according to Kelley. The lockdown was lifted on Aug. 6.

In a letter sent to the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week, a 26-year-old woman serving time inside the facility for second-degree murder wrote that inmates were “abruptly” locked in their cells “with no explanation” on July 24.

During the lockdown, according to the inmate, “every other day we’re let out 1 room at a time for a 10 minute time frame to shower & clean the cell.”

Kelley said “all test results have come back negative,” including those of three inmates who previously had tested positive, though state data shows there were at least two positive inmate cases at the prison as of 9 a.m. Monday. In addition, the data shows, at least 10 staff members at the facility have tested positive.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.