(BIVN) – Six (6) more cases of COVID-19 were identified among inmates at Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center on Tuesday, as well as eight (8) new positive staff test results.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Public Safety reported the numbers in a news release, saying:

The Hawaii Community Correctional Center (HCCC) reports 53 inmate test results were received as part of the mass testing effort underway at the facility. Of that number, six were positive and 47 were negative. That brings the total positive inmate cases at the facility to 77. There were eight new positive staff test results received bringing the total staff positives to nine. HCCC has enacted their pandemic protocol which includes implementing a facility-wide quarantine of all inmate housing and suspending inmate movement going out of the facility. The facility is in constant contact with the courts to notify them of the status. Ongoing testing is being implemented by HCCC health care staff, with the assistance of the Department of Health and the Hawaii National Guard.

“We understand that eight employees at the Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center (HCCC) with direct exposure to the inmates have tested positive for COVID-19,” said Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth in a written statement. “With those employees being from and very much a part of our communities here on Hawaiʻi Island, we are asking our residents to remain cautious.”

“What is happening at HCCC is a very real and stark reminder of how fast the virus can spread in such a short amount of time,” Mayor Roth said. “To best keep our friends, families, and loved ones safe, we would like to encourage our residents to get vaccinated and continue practicing our social distancing measures. The Department of Public Safety, the Department of Health, and our Civil Defense Administration are working diligently to stop the spread and will be contacting residents who may be considered close contacts. In the meantime, stay safe, remain cautious, and be mindful of those around you. We are very close to beating this virus and returning to normalcy, but we must do all we can to prevent ourselves from tripping at the finish line.”

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health reported 19 new cases of COVID-19 on the Big Island on Tuesday.