The number of reported coronavirus cases among Michigan’s prison population doubled over the weekend.

Fifty-eight prisoners and one parolee across multiple state correctional facilities are now confirmed to have COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections on Sunday, March 29.

The majority of cases are from the Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson and the Macomb Correctional Facility, located about 20 miles northeast of Warren.

Additionally, 11 MDOC staff members have contracted the virus, MDOC spokesperson Chris Gautz said on Sunday.

The latest confirmed case numbers are double the 24 total cases among prisoners reported Friday, according to Bridge Magazine. One parolee also was reported to have coronavirus.

Gautz said he did not know the number of pending tests for prisoners with COVID-19 symptoms, only that it was “a lot.”

“The number changes a lot,” he said of the pending tests. “If you say it at one point, within an hour it’s potentially different, so we’ve mostly just been talking about confirmed cases that we have.”

Related: Michigan prisons prep for possibility of coronavirus outbreak among inmate population

The majority of sick prisoners have been moved to, and quarantined in, the Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Gautz said.

Of the cases, 20 were reported in Parnall Correctional Facility, 16 in Macomb Correctional Facility, seven in both the Lakeland Correctional Facility and the Woman’s Huron Valley Correntional Facility, four in the Detroit Reentry Center, two in the Woodland Center Correctional Facility, one in the Kinross Correctional Facility and one in the Duane Waters Health Center.

Amid the spike in cases, the department is looking to strengthen its measures for screening staff and contractors for coronavirus.

Currently, staff and contractors are screened for fevers and asked if they have symptoms or have had close contact with anyone possibly infected with COVID-19. Recent travel is also asked about.

MDOC will announce the beefed up screening steps early next week, Gautz said. A proper screening regimen is important, Gautz said, because the virus is likely continuing to come in through the outside.

“Because our facilities have been without visitors since March 13, our employees who had it -- seems very apparent that they picked it up on the outside and then have been bringing it in,” he said. “Our prisoners who have it are getting it from our staff.”

Anytime an inmate is tested for coronavirus, other prisoners who may have had close contact with that inmate are isolated until the results come back. If negative, they’re released from isolation. If positive, they may have to continue isolation or be tested as well.

“Once the prisoner is potentially positive, we go through and we determine any prisoners and staff that may have had close contact with the prisoner and potentially could have been exposed to it by that prisoner,” Gautz said.

To limit potential spread in the prisons, MDOC officials, among other things, have limited the number of prisoners allowed in the cafeterias and classrooms at one time. Prisoners are told to sit further away from each other.

In-person college classes have been suspended, but classes necessary for parole continue, Gautz said.

The basketball courts and weight-lifting equipment have been closed off, and prisoners are told not to stand close together in large groups when outdoors.

The number of coronavirus cases in the state have also continued an upward climb over the weekend.

State health officials on Sunday afternoon said there are now 5,486 coronavirus cases and 132 deaths in the state. On Friday afternoon, state health officials reported 3,657 cases statewide and 92 deaths.

There is a lot of misinformation spreading on social media about actions MDOC is taking, Gautz said. He urged people to consult the department’s page on coronavirus if they have concerns and questions.

Read all of MLive’s coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores.

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