UPDATE (4/17/20 11:00am CDT) - On Friday, La  Porte County Commissioner, Dr. Vidya Kora, confirmed that 30 employees of the Westville Correctional Facility has been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting results.

(Westville, IN - 4/16/20) - Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in LaPorte County have trippled due to an outbreak at Westville Correctional Facility.  La Porte County Commissioner Dr. Vidya Kora says testing Wednesday turned up close to 87 cases inside the prision.  All of the confirmed positive cases at this time involve strictly inmates.

On Monday, a Westville inmate in his 70’s passed away from breathing issues related to the virus.  Kora states at least two inmates have been hospitalized and a team of local officials have been in close contact with the state to try and mitigate the situation.

Kora also states they’re now requesting testing for staff members in an attempt to keep the virus from spreading outside the prison.  County Commissioner Rich Mrozinski says workers at the prison being infected would be like opening the door to infecting the general public from employees living and doing business here outside the prison walls.  So far, Kora says no prison staff members they know of have been infected but have requested they be tested.