DOC confirms 184 new cases of COVID-19 at Waupun Correctional Institution

WAUPUN, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Corrections has confirmed 184 cases of COVID-19 at Waupun Correctional Institution, according to a news release Friday.

Officials said the National Guard has helped test 7,050 people across the state’s correctional facilities. Of those tests, 217 came back positive, with 184 coming from WCI.

Testing at the facility was completed for all staff and inmates. As of Friday, only about half of the Waupun facility’s inmate test results have come back.

Officials noted the importance of mass testing, as most of the people who got tested were asymptomatic.

“While the increase in testing may increase the number of confirmed positive cases within our agency, just as it does in the community, it now enables us to identify those asymptomatic carriers and properly isolate those individuals, which is crucial to reducing spread,” the DOC said in a statement.

The release said inmates who tested positive will be medically isolated and closely monitored. The DOC continues to follow other public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

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