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Harvey Weinstein tests positive for COVID-19 while in NY prison, reports say

Posted at 9:29 PM, Mar 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-22 21:44:28-04

ALDEN, N.Y. – Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the new coronavirus while serving time at a New York state prison, according to multiple reports.

The Niagara Gazette was the first to report Sunday that the convicted rapist had been diagnosed with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Other news outlets later confirmed the news, including Deadline and Buzzfeed.

As a result of the diagnosis, the Gazette reports that the 68-year-old is being isolated at Wende Correctional Facility in western New York.

In a statement, the state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) confirmed to WKBW that two inmates at the facility tested positive for the virus. However, corrections officials wouldn’t identify either inmate by name or comment on their medical records.

With each confirmed case, DOCCS says it worked with the Department of Health to identify any potentially exposed individuals in order to provide notifications and to stop the spread of the virus.

Weinstein has been serving time at Wende Correctional Facility as part of his 23-year prison sentence after being found guilty of two charges in his sexual assault trial in February.

As of Sunday night, more than 15,700 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the state, with at least 117 deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.