Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch has caught the coronavirus. He is the highest-ranking state official known to have tested positive.
The News Service of Florida reports Mark Inch began experiencing mild symptoms after returning from a statewide conference and visiting a North Florida prison.
The Florida Department of Corrections is not disclosing the name or location of the conference, or whether Inch was physically close with any inmates or workers who tested positive while he was visiting the prison. Inch has been going to numerous prisons during the pandemic to provide support but is currently self-isolating.
As of Friday, more than 8,000 prisoners, and more than 1,000 corrections workers have been infected with COVID-19. 50 inmates have died from complications related to the disease.
