FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (20-146)

CONTACT Laura Strimple, Chief of Staff

OFFICE 402-479-5713 | laura.strimple@nebraska.gov

Uptick in COVID cases leads to quarantine at DEC

September 11, 2020 (Lincoln, Neb.) – The Diagnostic and Evaluation Center (DEC) in Lincoln is under quarantine, due to an increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases among inmates. More than 200 inmates agreed to undergo testing at the facility on Thursday, September 10. Thirty of those results were positive and came from multiple housing units.

“As we did at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, we will keep individuals who are positive housed together so transmission of the illness is reduced internally,” said Diane Sabatka-Rine, chief of operations for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS).

Counties have been notified not to send any new commits or safe keepers to DEC, while the quarantine remains in place.

“DEC serves as the intake center for adult men who come into NDCS. In addition, we transfer a number of inmates from that facility to other locations within the system as well as externally to court,” explained Sabatka-Rine. “Reducing points of entry and exit should help keep the number of positive cases contained within DEC and reduce spreading it elsewhere.”

Today, a facility-wide quarantine lifted at the Nebraska State Penitentiary (NSP) when several housing units returned to normal operations. 

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