CLEVELAND, Ohio — The first case of novel coronavirus has hit the Ohio prison system, as authorities scramble to prevent its spread amid advocates’ calls to reduce the state’s overcrowded cellblocks.

A prison spokeswoman said Sunday that the employee last worked at the Marion Correctional Institution on Tuesday, March 24, and reported feeling ill the next day. The staff member, whose position was not disclosed, tested positive Sunday and reported it to officials.

The prison houses about 2,500 inmates and 450 staff members. The prison has some of the state’s oldest and most feeble inmates, including Roy Schrock, who turns 95 next week, and Romulus Nedea, 92, according to state records.

The disclosure about the staff member in Marion comes as prisoner advocates in Ohio and across the country have pushed for the reduction of the prison population to allow health officials a better chance to fight the spread of the virus.

The groups have sought the release of older inmates, those with pre-existing medical conditions and inmates convicted of non-violent crimes with just a handful of months remaining on their sentences.

They also have called for the state parole board to look again at those the board denied recently and for DeWine to commute sentences.

The virus has killed 29 people in Ohio, and more than 1,600 have contracted it.

DeWine on Sunday said prison officials “have done everything to keep the virus out of prisons.” But he said releasing some inmates does not appear to be a solution right now.

“I don’t think we should think it’s an automatic solution to set a number of people who have been convicted, who have been sentenced, to set them loose and assume that they’re going to be more able to stay free of the virus,” DeWine said.

State prison officials have stressed that they have prepared for years to fight the effects of a pandemic and have worked in the past month to educate inmates.

They have disinfected cellblocks, eliminated visitors and screened incoming staff, attorneys and inmates for symptoms of the illness.

Correctional officers have even been permitted to give inmates hand-sanitizing gels, a move that had been prohibited in the past because the alcohol in the sanitizer is flammable. It had been considered contraband.

Prison officials have tested 20 inmates at Grafton Correctional and Richland Correctional. Eighteen tests have been negative; two tests are pending, according to the prison system. As of Sunday, there had been no reports of testing at the Marion facility.

The state has come up with a free video-messaging system to allow inmates to reach out to their families instead of in-person visits.

Advocates, however, say more needs to be done.

“That’s a good start, but inmates are 3 feet apart from each other,” said Piet van Lier, a researcher for Policy Matters Ohio. “Prisons are a breeding ground for this kind of disease. It’s not just the people inside the prisons, but it also is the people who work there."

Advocates cited the fact that it is impossible to maintain social distancing and good hygiene in an overcrowded prison system. Ohio houses nearly 49,000 inmates in 28 prisons. It was built for about 39,000.

Advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, sent DeWine and other state officials a letter late last week seeking the immediate reduction of those behind bars.

The letter said that “incarceration settings are ideal for rapidly amplifying infectious disease,” which could soon spread to surrounding communities.

The letter also noted that prisons’ health systems are often severely lacking and could soon be overwhelmed. The letter said an immediate drop in the number of inmates would release much-needed pressure on the state’s prisons and offer greater housing flexibility to quarantine inmates.

“Nobody wants to do more harm,” said Gary Daniels of the ACLU. “These are unprecedented times. If we were to release inmates, it has to be done in a way that would provide them with resources.”

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