MUHLENBERG COUNTY, Ky. — The largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases was announced Tuesday, and about half of them came from the Green River Correctional Complex.

What You Need To Know


  • Father of inmate at Green River Correctional Complex speaking out.

  • Believes son was infected by cellmate and was asymptomatic.

  • Father says son told him inmates are locked down 23 hours a day.

Of the 625 new cases, 339 of them came from the prison. This was shocking news to one inmate's father, who spoke to Spectrum News 1. He wants more methods to mitigate the spread to happen inside the facility. 

Kevin Adams' son Eric has been an inmate at Green River for a few months now. Last Adams spoke to his son, he guessed the coronavirus may have hit 170 people there. However, after Tuesday's announcement, Adams said, "I'm shocked. I'm very concerned, disappointed, upset. [There's] nothing I can do about it."

Adams believes his son may have already been exposed to the virus by his cellmate and was asymptomatic. 

"[It's] a situation where it was conditionally impossible to avoid it if you're there. You're in an 8 x10 cell with another guy" he said. 

Executive Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown said everyone in the facility has been tested. That' more than 1,000 people. Some results are still pending. In Governor's Beshear's briefings, Brown laid out precautions he claims the facility is taking. He said inmates are being separated into groups: negative cases, positive cases, negative but exposed, and those vulnerable.

"I know that it's been a difficult situation for everybody down at Green River, but I want to commend all of those particularly our correction workers and in fact the inmates who have cooperated all for the health and well-being of everyone there," Brown said. 

Brown added temperature checks are happening, ongoing sanitizing, and there will be follow-up tests. 

Adams heard from his son, that the inmates are on lockdown 23 hours each day. "It's inhumane, let me just say it that way."

The Department of Corrections responded to this. Spokesperson Lisa Lamb told Spectrum News 1: "The prison was placed in lockdown status in order to conduct the mass testing and we are awaiting the final test results. As outlined in the past two days in the Governor’s briefings, once all test results are received the prison will be divided into distinct housing areas based on the results."

Adams is also concerned the inmates have masks, but no way to clean them. 

To this, the Department said each inmate has an extra mask; that's to allow one to be laundered while the other is in use. 

Still, Adams wants more medical help for the inmates. He says those close to parole should be released to home. 

"What I see down there is about a human problem. This is not about a prisoner or about a Democrat or Republican. This is about humanity. I mean, how are we actually dealing with this?" he said. 

Lamb said medical staff is conducting checkups, cell by cell; vulnerable men are being monitored more closely. 

So far, there have been two coronavirus deaths and one potentially linked to coronavirus. Currently, four people are hospitalized: two staff members and two inmates. One of each is in the ICU, Brown said. In a coronavirus briefing, Brown reminded reporters that about 1,200 inmates across prisons have been released. These were people particularly vulnerable to the disease, and those who had not committed violent or sexual crimes.