Department of Corrections assistant superintendent Ross Cunningham stands in the common area of the old Merrimack County Jail built in 1983. He and Superintendent Ron White have pitched an ambitious plan to revive the defunct former jail next door into a 70-bed transitional facility, centered on combatting substance abuse and other co-occurring issues, including mental health.
Department of Corrections assistant superintendent Ross Cunningham stands in the common area of the old Merrimack County Jail built in 1983. He and Superintendent Ron White have pitched an ambitious plan to revive the defunct former jail next door into a 70-bed transitional facility, centered on combatting substance abuse and other co-occurring issues, including mental health. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER

Inmates at Merrimack County Jail underwent coronavirus testing after an officer at the facility tested positive for the virus. 

On Friday, the facility swabbed 105 inmates and staff who agreed to testing. Ross Cunningham, the superintendent of the Department of Corrections, said the tests were done as a precaution to ensure the virus has not spread in the facility. Cunningham said he expects the results of these tests on Tuesday. 

This case comes as COVID numbers in the state are reaching record highs. Including Thursday’s all-time daily high of 252, the two-week average of new cases in New Hampshire is 134, far higher than any time last spring. The average is rising more quickly than at the height of the first wave of the pandemic, according to reporting from the Monitor.