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Arizona Department Of Corrections Confirms First Cases Of Coronavirus In State Prisons

The Arizona Department of Corrections said Tuesday it had been notified that "two inmates have tested positive for COVID-19."

In a statement, the Department of Corrections said one inmate was being treated at a community hospital, where he had been since March 27.

Prior to March 27, the inmate was housed at the Tucson prison complex.

The agency did not identify where the inmate had been incarcerated or in what hospital he was being treated.

"The inmate was found positive after having been previously tested twice with negative results," the statement said.

A second inmate who tested positive for COVID-19 lives at the Marana Community Correctional Treatment Facility, located in Pima County.

According to the agency, "The Marana facility is a minimum-custody third-party operator under contract with ADCRR."

The Department of Corrections said the inmate was being treated at the Marana facility.

The statement said 60 inmates out of a total of more than 42,000 in Department of Corrections custody have been tested. The Department reports two tests were positive, 48 tests were negative, and 10 are pending.

→  Read The Latest News On The Coronavirus Disease

Jimmy Jenkins was a producer and senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2014 to 2021.