Second staff member at Lansing prison in Kansas dies from coronavirus complications
A second corrections officer at the Lansing Correctional Facility died of complications from the new coronavirus on Tuesday, the Kansas Department of Corrections announced in a news release.
The officer was a man older than 50 who had worked in Kansas corrections for nearly 20 years, according to a written statement from corrections officials Wednesday. The Department of Corrections did not release the man’s name.
“This has been an extremely difficult week for our agency and staff,” Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda said in the release. “We are devastated and extend our condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of this dedicated public servant.”
The announcement came one day after the first death at the prison was announced. Corrections officer George “Bernie” Robare, 61, died from COVID-19 Monday after spending weeks in the hospital.
His wife, Susan Robare, told The Star she believed he caught the virus while working at the Lansing prison.
Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday that she was sorry that people are beginning to die in Lansing, but said she was confident the Department of Corrections had done “all that they can” and will continue to try to improve conditions.
“We’re talking about a situation where you have 1,700 men in one facility, not to mention the staff,” Kelly said during a news conference. “And you’ve got to move these folks around from living quarters to cafeteria services to showers. It is not easy and it is probably one of the most difficult environments in which to mitigate the spread.”
Zmuda said he knew of four inmates and two employees who are hospitalized. He said the department will begin mass testing of Lansing and Wichita Work Release employees Thursday.
He said if a large number of employees can’t come to work, the agency can bring in workers from other prisons and restrict inmate movements.
Lansing is the site of the prison system’s largest outbreak of COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 88 staff members and 728 inmates had tested positive for the virus according to Kansas Department of Corrections data. Three inmates have died from the virus.
The prison outbreak is the 13th largest cluster of coronavirus cases in the country according to data from the New York Times.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Second staff member at Lansing prison in Kansas dies from coronavirus complications."
