COVID-19 case at Kan. Juvenile Correctional Complex

TOPEKA, Kansas – Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced Tuesday that one resident at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex (KJCC) has been identified as positive for COVID-19, according to a media release from the agency.

The resident at KJCC is a male over the age of 15 and was a new admission to KJCC. In order to protect the identity of the person, no other information will be released. Mandatory mask protocol was implemented on July 1 for both staff and residents.

The KDOC has been in consultation with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on next steps to address these circumstances. As a result of that consultation with KDHE, the following steps were implemented:

1. The positive individual was moved to a negative air-flow room in the KJCC infirmary
2. The remainder of the living unit will quarantine in one-person rooms
3. Additional testing will take place as we continue to work to control the spread and KDOC will remain diligent in monitoring other staff and residents for symptoms

“With this recent admission, we are seeing that our screening protocols are working,” Zmuda said. “We were able to keep this individual isolated from others in hopes that no others will become infected with the virus.”