An employee has tested positive for COVID-19 at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility.

The Kansas Department of Corrections says this is the sixth correctional facility with a confirmed case of the new coronavirus. Other cases have been confirmed at Lansing Correctional Facility, Wichita Work Release Facility, Topeka Correctional Facility, Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex and El Dorado Correctional Facility.

At Ellsworth Correctional, the sick employee is identified as a man over 50-years-old. No more details on the patient are being released. The following steps are being taken to fight the spread of COVID-19 at the prison:

• KDHE conducted contact tracing to determine who among our staff and residents have been in close contact with this individual
• The Ellsworth County Health Department conducted contact tracing to identify anyone outside of ECF who may have been in close contact with this individual and will notify those persons
• KDOC will remain diligent in monitoring other staff and residents for symptoms

“With this being the first-reported case in Ellsworth County, I want to reassure the community that we will be diligent in our efforts to mitigate the effects this virus has on our staff and population,”  says KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda. “We are working very closely with KDHE and will continue to follow their guidance on the best ways to manage a virus like COVID-19 within the prison setting.”