Widespread COVID-19 Testing Planned for All State Prisons

May 23, 2020

Dear Families and Friends:

As part of the State of Missouri’s Show Me Strong Recovery Plan, the Missouri Department of Corrections will begin testing all staff and all offenders in every state prison for COVID-19.

Testing will begin May 26 at Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston and South Central Correctional Center in Licking.

The following week, beginning May 31, testing will take place at Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City and Chillicothe Correctional Center in Chillicothe.

Department leaders currently are developing a plan for effective and efficient testing at other facilities throughout the state in the coming weeks.

The type of testing being conducted at state prisons, known as sentinel testing, is a process of testing most or all members of a large group of people living or working together in close contact, even if there are no known cases of COVID-19 in that location.

Currently, only one facility, Southeast Correctional Center, has experienced an outbreak of COVID-19.

Before, during and after this process takes place, we will continue to follow the viral containment plans implemented at all facilities. If some members of the corrections community test positive for COVID-19, we will continue our strategy of isolating offenders and sending staff home.

If everyone at a site tests negative, it means what we’re doing is working. It does not mean the public health crisis is over. It also does not mean we can immediately return to “normal.” However, the test results can help us to keep your loved ones safe and can give us the information we need to make informed decisions about the future and a gradual return to more regular operations. This testing is a necessary first step to helping you reconnect safely with your loved ones.

You can be part of the solution.

In addition to conducting sentinel testing in institutions, the state of Missouri is starting FREE COVID-19 community testing for every Missourian who wants to be tested, even if you don’t have symptoms. Free testing is available at community locations throughout the state, beginning May 26. PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN THIS TESTING. The results provide a better understanding of COVID-19 prevalence and help the state return to more normal operations faster. This testing helps everyone, including incarcerated Missourians and their families.

Counties selected for community sampling include Boone, Cape Girardeau, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson and St. Charles. A list of testing dates and locations is available online.

Thank you for your patience and support as we work together to make our facilities safer.