Luzerne County outlines virus prep for prison, courts

Luzerne County’s correctional services division has stepped up measures attempting to keep the coronavirus from infiltrating the prison and minimum offenders building.

In addition to the obvious concerns about confined space, the inmate population at the two facilities is constantly shifting because about 400 new inmates are typically added each month as an equal number are released, officials said.

The combined average daily population at the Water Street prison and Reichard Street minimum offenders building is around 650.

Additional screening questions have been added at intake to determine if incoming inmates have flu-like symptoms or have recently visited areas with confirmed coronavirus cases, said county Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich.

More sanitizing and cleaning of “high touch” common areas is underway, and the division was in the process Wednesday of posting information about coronavirus throughout both buildings, Rockovich said. All cells are equipped with sinks and soap, he noted.

Also, visitors showing outward signs of potential coronavirus — shortness of breath or coughing — won’t be allowed in the visiting area, he said.

County Manager C. David Pedri said he does not want to outright ban all visits unless it is necessary because those interactions are a “major lifeline” to those who are incarcerated and their family members.

Any inmates exhibiting symptoms would be quarantined in isolation units in consultation with medical experts, Rockovich said.

Courts

Luzerne County’s court system is hosting a planning session Thursday to develop a regional county court response to the coronavirus, said county Court Administrator Michael Shucosky. Court administrators from Carbon, Lackawanna, Monroe and Wayne counties are set to attend the session, he said.

This plan will ensure essential court hearings proceed, including those covering protection-from-abuse, bail, criminal arraignments, Children and Youth, child placement, emergency custody and guardianship, he said.

“We can’t shut down completely,” said county Court of Common Pleas President Judge Michael T. Vough. “There are a number of issues we’re looking at to limit human contact.”

Vough said a plan will be implemented soon that may involve more spacing out of scheduled proceedings to reduce courtroom crowds.

Shucosky also expects increased use of video conference proceedings. Some courtrooms have hundreds of people inside at a time under existing scheduling, and there’s no way of knowing if anyone in the room has been exposed to the virus if they have no symptoms, he said.

Court officials sanitized sections of the Bernard C. Brominski Building near the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, which houses family court, solely because an intern had traveled to New Rochelle in New York last weekend — an area that has a concentration of coronavirus cases.

This woman exhibited no signs of coronavirus but will be tested, officials said. She was last in the building on Tuesday.

Pedri held a media conference Wednesday to “clear up a few misconceptions” resulting from a television video about the family court situation that had referenced “possible coronavirus.”

“Once again — I want to be very clear — the individual that has caused most of this concern does not show any signs of symptoms,” Pedri said, adding that the county has “no reason to believe” the coronavirus was disseminated at the building.

The third floor of the Brominski building will be closed Thursday for deep cleaning “out of an abundance of caution,” he said.” Employees on that floor were instructed to contact their supervisor about returning to work.

Countywide

All county departments have “continuation of operations plans,” known as “coops,” that are being updated to address the coronavirus, said county Administrative Services Division Head David Parsnik.

County government provides a myriad of essential services, including some for the elderly.

Citizens enter county buildings to file documents, pay bills, search records and attend meetings and court proceedings.

The county also conducts the April 28 primary election, which means preparations may be needed to clean electronic voting screens between uses and man polling places if some election day workers are unable or unwilling to appear.

Parsnik said the revised plans may include some employees working from home, increased cleaning of surfaces and reduced public access areas.

Switching to electronic-only filing of documents is another possibility, Pedri said.

“But we’re not there at this point. At this point we are planning. We are prepared and ready to go, and we will move forward from there,” Pedri said.

The county administration is working closely with county EMA and the Pennsylvania Department of Health on contingency plans, he said, adding that the county will be proactive and provide public updates as needed.

“Everyone is on high alert,” Pedri said. “The health and safety of the county workforce and the public who comes into our buildings is our top priority at this time.”