CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two inmates in Ohio state prisons have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Saturday.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said men at the Marion and Pickaway correctional institutions have tested positive for the virus. Thirty-eight inmates have been tested, and 29 tests were negative. Seven test results are pending.

At least one staff member at the Marion correctional institution previously tested positive, department spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said in an email Saturday.

More information about the cases were not immediately available. The department reported nine inmates are in isolation and the entire populations of four prison facilities across the state are in quarantine.

News of the case comes one day after Gov. Mike DeWine said his administration is sending letters to judges throughout the state suggesting they release 38 inmates serving time for non-violent crimes to help protect them from contracting a severe illness associated with the virus.

DeWine acknowledged at a news conference Friday that he could use his power to commute sentences but wanted to leave the final decision to the judges that sentenced the inmates.

Of the 38 inmates, 23 are women who are either pregnant or who recently gave birth in prison, DeWine said. The other 15 are older than 60 and are within 60 days of being released.

Advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which has pushed the governor to take steps to reduce the statewide inmate population that totals nearly 49,000, said the steps were not nearly enough.

The groups argue that people behind bars tend to already have worse health statuses, live in conditions that make it virtually impossible to practice social distancing, and have limited access to health care. That means many prisons are the perfect environment for an outbreak.

Inmates outside Ohio’s prison system have tested positive. Cuyahoga County announced Friday that six inmates at its downtown Cleveland jail tested positive for the virus, while seven inmates and two guards tested positive at a federal prison in Columbiana County. Three inmates at the federal prison died Thursday.