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The health department learned of the confirmed case of COVID-19 on Sunday. The inmate was transferred from Auburn Correctional Facility to another site on Tuesday.Ìý

The department is in contact with Auburn Correctional Facility to notify staff at the prison who were in contact with the inmate. Any staff members who had close contact with the inmate will be placed into mandatory quarantine and monitored by the department.Ìý

Members of the employees' households are asked to perform social distancing to avoid exposure.Ìý

The announcement followed the department's latest update on the number of confirmed cases in Cayuga County. Two more people — a woman in her 20s and a woman in her 30s — tested positive for COVID-19.Ìý

The county has three confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The first, a man in his 30s, was announced last week.Ìý

A case involving an employee or inmate at a state prison was a concern because of the confined environment. The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association called on the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the agency that oversees the prison system, to end inmate visitation.Ìý

DOCCS initially announced that it would screen visitors for COVID-19. A week later, the department temporarily suspended visitation at prisons due to the coronavirus outbreak.Ìý

The virus is spreading across the state. New York has more than 15,000 confirmed cases, according to the latest figures provided by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The state has nearly half of all confirmed cases in the U.S.Ìý

New Yorkers are encouraged to stay at home and practice social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19.Ìý