41 Tarrant County inmates test positive for coronavirus as jail populations drop
The number of inmates in the Tarrant County Jail have dropped to historic lows, while the number of inmates who have tested positive for the coronavirus has grown dramatically.
According to Tarant County officials, 41 inmates and four staff members in the Tarrant County Jail’s three facilities have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday. As of Thursday, the number of inmates in the jails had been reduced to 3,312, a Facebook post from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office said.
Typically, the county jail houses about 4,000 inmates.
According to a report from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, 49 jailers were isolated pending test results and two inmates were being treated offsite, or outside of the jail, as of Thursday. There were 42 jail inmates being quarantined as of Thursday, according to the state report.
Near the end of March, when Tarrant County’s effort to reduce the jail population was gaining traction, the inmate count was 3,552, the lowest it had been in two years, according to Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department officials. No inmates or jail staff had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, in late March, according to JPS officials.
Jail personnel blocked entrance for inmates transported from other locations if they had temperatures or if they presented any evidence of having a coronavirus infection, outside programs inside the jail were either suspended or curtailed, and Tarrant County sheriff’’s deputies were instructed to use their discretion to avoid transporting people to jail who were not a threat to society, according to Lt. Jennifer Gabbert, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.
Two inmates had tested positive for the coronavirus by April 13, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office records show. Four days later, five inmates and one jail staff member had tested positive for the coronavirus, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
In less than two weeks, the number of jail inmates testing positive for the coronavirus has multiplied by more than 20, according to the figures reported Friday by the Sheriff’s Office. Inmates and staff are in quarantine and doing well, the department said in a news release.
“We would have had no way to predict a percentage of increase, but we are grateful that our numbers continue to remain low and all of our inmates and staff are doing well,” Gabbert said.
Based on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta predicted and that five inmates had tested positive, an increase was anticipated, Gabbert said. The CDC anticipated the greatest increase during the last two weeks, Gabbert said.
“This COVID-19 pandemic is very fluid and ever-changing battlefield,” the release said. “Implemented protocols include mandatory multiple daily temperature checks of food vendor employees, our employees and inmates.
“We continue to research into who the infected inmates may have come into contact with,” the release said. “Masks are to be worn by anyone entering jail facilities, including staff. Several areas within the jail will remain on quarantine status until all inmates are confirmed COVID free and to curb any additional spread of the disease.”
This increase comes on the heels of a report saying that the federal medical prison for men in Fort Worth has the most coronavirus cases of any prison in the US federal system.
The number of inmates who tested positive for the coronavirus at Fort Worth Federal Medical Center increased by nearly 275% since Tuesday, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
Fort Worth FMC houses more than 1,500 male inmates, many with special medical and mental health needs. On Tuesday, federal officials reported that 35 inmates and one staff member had tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, and on Wednesday it was reported that one of those inmates had died.
By Thursday, the number of inmates who had tested positive had grown to 131, up from the 56 inmates who had the disease on Wednesday, according to the federal website.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 4:00 PM.
