JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — Twenty inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Jefferson County Jail, according to a spokesperson.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said on July 29, it learned of a positive COVID-19 case inside the jail. The patient was taken to an area medical facility before for an unrelated condition, the spokesperson said.
After learning of the positive result, the person was quarantined and other inmates who were in contact with the patient were tested.
A spokesperson from the sheriff’s office said, in total there have been 20 inmates who have tested positive and most of them are asymptomatic. The inmates who have tested positive for the virus have been isolated from the rest of the jail population.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said their health and wellness are being monitored regularly.
"We’ve been prepared for this scenario since March. We made the difficult decision to proactively decrease the jail population in order to have space to adequately quarantine inmates who contract the virus. We’re screening people on intake to avoid infecting the jail population. Staff and inmates are being given PPE to protect themselves and others and thorough cleaning is taking place within the facility," a spokesperson said in an email.
