TOPEKA, Kansas – Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced today that one staff member working at El Dorado Correctional Facility (EDCF) tested positive for COVID-19. This is the fifth KDOC facility with confirmed cases, including Lansing Correctional Facility, Wichita Work Release Facility, Topeka Correctional Facility and Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex.
The staff member is a male over the age of 30. In order to protect the identity of the staff member, no other information will be released.
The KDOC has been in consultation with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on next steps to address these circumstances. As a result of that consultation with KDHE, the following steps are being implemented immediately:
• KDHE conducted contact tracing to determine who among our staff and residents have been in close contact with this individual
• The Butler County Health Department conducted contact tracing to identify anyone outside of EDCF who may have been in close contact with this individual and will notify those persons
• KDOC will remain diligent in monitoring other staff and residents for symptoms
“As with our other facilities, at El Dorado we have coordinated our response with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,” Zmuda said. “The expertise and support of KDHE is invaluable as we address the challenges that this virus presents.”
The 1,955 bed El Dorado Correctional Facility opened in 1991 and was expanded in 1995 and 2001. The facility is designed for maximum- and medium-custody residents and to serve as the Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) for all adult males sentenced to KDOC. In RDU, residents receive orientation and are assigned to a custody classification, appropriate programs and a permanent housing assignment.
For current information on COVID-19 in Kansas, and to sign up for updates, go to the KDHE COVID-19 Resource Center at kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus. For information on the KDOC’s response to COVID-19, visit https://www.doc.ks.gov/kdoc-coronavirus-updates.
