Juneau’s two newest confirmed cases of COVID-19 are both staff members at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
The City and Borough of Juneau announced Tuesday that after weeks with no new cases, two people tested positive for COVID-19. Both were the result of secondary transmission, meaning they had come into contact with someone who previously tested positive for the disease.
City Manager Rorie Watt confirmed Wednesday that the new cases are Lemon Creek Correctional Center staff.
Alaska Department of Corrections spokesperson Sarah Gallagher wrote in an email Wednesday that 10 staff at Lemon Creek Correctional Center have now contracted the virus.
That’s a jump from last month, when DOC reported that seven staff members at the facility had tested positive for the virus.
Gallagher did not respond to follow-up questions asking why DOC did not announce the three most recent cases at the Lemon Creek facility.
It’s also not clear how many inmates in the facility have been tested so far.
According to DOC, only one inmate in Alaska has tested positive for COVID-19. That was at Goose Creek Correctional Center in Wasilla last month. More than 250 tests have been administered to inmates statewide.
