The new COVID-19 variant could change the plans for the correctional facility.

When the infection rates decreased and went to zero, the inmates in the Monroe County Correction Facility could be moved to the state correctional facility.

Now the numbers are going up, and it could jeopardize the moving of inmates who are waiting to be transferred to the facilities where they will serve their sentence, Warden Garry Haidle said.

Two weeks ago a new inmate tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantined for 10 days and is now COVID-free.

“As far as I know, today we are COVID-free,” the warden said.

There is some question about the state segregating affected individuals in a separate building, John Moyer, chairman of the prison board, said.

“It is not feasible here. We don’t have that many inmates that are vaccinated. We have about 21 percent of the inmate population vaccinated,” Haidle said. “It isn’t like we don’t encourage them to get the vaccine.”

“I think that in Monroe County we are still sitting at 51 percent,” Moyer said.

Just last week at the commissioners meeting there was a contingent of people who are not normally there.

“They were lamenting the fact the government can’t tell them they have to be vaccinated, but you know we can’t mandate somebody to do something they don’t want to,” he said.

Commissioner Sharon Laverdure asked if the inmates still had opportunities to get vaccinated, and Haidle’s answer was a resounding “yes.”

Other business

• The purchase of the commercial mixer for the kitchen was approved. It will replace the one that has been there since the building was built. The cost originally was $25,000 and the state contract $23,000. Most likely the remaining balance will come from capital money.

• Many of the correctional facilities programs have started to open up, according to the Director of Treatment Lea Baylor.

The treatment staff is down two people and they are interviewing applicants for the two positions, but so far they have not been able to find someone with experience in working in the prison environment.

• Overtime at the Monroe County Correctional Facility is increasing, and at Tuesday’s meeting, the commissioners and Haidle discussed the reason. The commissioners asked for an explanation on what keep the overtime hours so high.

“It is something that is difficult to do, if you have inmates that are hospitalized, and they are a security risk it takes more than one officer. Right now we have a patient in Lehigh Valley Hospital who is a high security risk, so it takes two armed officers to be there. Normally it would only involve one officer.

However there is a bright spot for the commissioners. Controller Margo Merhige announced that the overall wages are down $160,000 from last year.