A Stafford Creek Corrections Center inmate died due to COVID-19 on Thursday, the State Department of Corrections said.

“On December 10, 2020, an individual incarcerated at Stafford Creek Corrections Center passed away at a local healthcare facility due to COVID-19 related illness,” the DOC said in a press release.

As of Friday afternoon, the department had released no further details to the public and had not yet responded to questions from The Daily World.

Stafford Creek had not reported a single COVID-related death since the state began tallying pandemic numbers back in March. The facility had reported just four COVID cases over a nine-month span until the virus had infiltrated the facility in late November, causing the overall amount of cases to skyrocket to 242 as of Thursday.

While the DOC did not provide further information on the inmate who died, it offered condolences and said it is committed to limiting the virus.

“The Washington State Department of Corrections offers its condolences to the family and friends of the decedent, and remains committed to continue science-based health practices and following the established COVID-19 screening, testing and infection control guidelines as the department works to contain and mitigate any spread of the virus,” the DOC press release declared.

The state’s Office of the Corrections Ombuds Director Joanna Carns said that “every death due to COVID is a tragedy” and her office will be taking a closer look at the incident.

“We will be reviewing it, as we do with each death due to COVID, to see if there are any lessons to be learned that could prevent future deaths,” she stated.

The DOC press release said the prison, which houses almost 2,000 inmates, continues to place living units on quarantine in an effort to limit transmission among the incarcerated population,” but did not go into further detail as to what mitigating measures are being used.

The department also said Stafford Creek “initiated restricted movement to limit the potential exposure of COVID-19 among the facility’s incarcerated population.”

A letter by DOC Associate Superintendent Dan Van Ogle on Dec. 5 states that: “Today, SCCC went into Restricted Movement status to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This change will impact our incarcerated population’s ability to attend regularly scheduled programs, call-outs and services.”

No further details were provided by the DOC as to what specific mitigating procedures were put in place.

According to Loren Taylor, a prisoner advocate and former employee at Stafford Creek, the mitigating procedures include keeping inmates relegated to their cells for longer periods of time and allowing no more than eight inmates out of their cells at a time for no longer than 45 minutes.

Taylor said that because most of the units at Stafford Creek are “dry cells” — meaning they do not have running water. This, combined with the shorter time span inmates are allowed out of cells, increased frustrations, she said.

“It’s not much time to take a shower, get your pitcher or mug and fill it with water, make a phone call … 45 minutes goes very quickly,” Taylor said.

Thursday’s death is the fourth COVID-related death of an inmate in custody of the Washington State Department of Corrections, which houses approximately 15,000 individuals statewide.

In addition, one Washington state corrections officer has died of COVID-19.