The Department of Public Safety (PSD) is continuing testing everybody in prison or jail statewide for COVID-19.

The broad-based testing being administered by PSD health care, mental health, and security staff at Halawa Correctional Facility (HCF) and Kulani Correctional Facility (KCF) is complete.

The third batch of HCF inmate test results have come in for 94 additional inmates. All 94 were negative.

Kulani testing completed on Tuesday for 164 inmates.  The final batch of 86 results came back negative Thursday and 78 results came back negative Wednesday. KCF Warden Wanda Craig said, “I couldn’t be more pleased with my staff for the amazing job they are doing executing the pandemic plan daily, to keep our inmate population free of COVID.”

The order of the facilities next in line for testing is being worked out. PSD is also working with DOH and the Hawaii National Guard to coordinate the testing of correctional officers and staff.

O‘ahu Community Correctional Center reported no new positive inmate or staff tests to report today.  On August 16, 170 inmates and 30 staff had tested positive for COVID-19.  Gov. David Ige announced on August 31 that Director Nolan Espinda had elected to retire, and was on personal leave with his retirement slated for Oct. 1.    Espinda had been widely criticized for how the pandemic had been handled inside the prison system after the wide spread of the virus at OCCC.   The spread also led to dozens of prisoners being released to avoid spreading the virus further.

On Sept. 16, Acting Director Maria Cook announced a mass testing plan for all prisons and jails statewide and released the prison’s Pandemic Response Plan.

There are currently no inmates hospitalized. Over 96% of all inmates who tested positive have recovered.