Notable Decrease in Active COVID-19 Cases at OCCC

Courtesy of Public Safety Department

The Public Safety Department (PSD) reported no new COVID-19 cases among inmates or staff as of Monday.

The O‘ahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) has seen a notable decrease in the number of inmates actively infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of August.

Three rounds of testing have been completed by the Department of Health (DOH). DOH will continue to follow up testing and tracing to make sure the virus remains under control in the incarcerated population.

“The decrease in positive cases is a testament to the hard-working staff who are making every effort to mitigate the spread and continue following the pandemic plan,” said Maria Cook, Deputy Director for Administration. “We also want to thank the Department of Health for all their help during this time to identify hotspots and bring the virus under control.”

PSD isn’t in the clear as overcrowding conditions in jails make it difficult to social distance, however, Cook said, they are confident the PSD staff are doing everything the DOH recommends to continue mitigating spread.

Staff continues to practice recommended precautions for the health and safety of the public, our staff and the inmates under our supervision including the use of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). All facilities have been issued PPE and routinely keep an inventory of PPE for continuous distribution to staff as recommended in the Pandemic Plan.

Each employee has been issued several face masks and at OCCC, employees have been issued a face shield for added protection. Face shields will be issued to all staff at other facilities. Staff has access to gloves and other protective supplies, available all over the facility.