Tarrant County sheriff reports 5 inmates and a jail staffer are coronavirus positive
A total of five Tarrant County jail inmates have received positive test results saying they have contracted COVID-19, according to a news release issued Friday by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.
Two inmates tested positive last weekend and since then, three more inmates have had positive test results returned.
All five inmates have been quarantined and are reported to be in good condition, the release said.
An employee with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office has also tested positive for COVID-19 and has not been at work since April 6, the release said. The employee is the only member of the jail staff to have tested positive for the disease, according to sheriff’s department officials.
As of this week, wearing face masks is mandatory for anyone entering a jail facility, including staff, the release said.
Jail staff instituted mandatory multiple temperature checks daily for food vendor employees, inmates and staff as well as started contact tracing to identify people who may have been in close proximity to the infected inmates, after initial tests results were revealed for the first two inmates who tested positive.
Several areas within the jail will remain on quarantine status until all inmates are confirmed COVID-19 free in order to curb the spread of the disease, the release said.
Jail inmates are treated for illnesses on the jail premises, according to Lt. Jennifer Gabbert, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.
Jail staff who come in contact with inmates suspected of being infected with the coronavirus are required to wear personal protective equipment, Gabbert has said in the past.
“All inmates who could have COVID-19 are in negative air-flow cells pending COVID-19 test results,” Gabbert has said.
Tarrant County has the 15th largest jail in the United States.
