2 inmates at Franklin County jail test positive for COVID-19
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Two inmates at the Franklin County Correctional Center II (Jackson Pike) have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, on April 5, staff at the Jackson Pike jail quarantined a male inmate after discovering he was exhibiting potential symptoms of coronavirus.
The next day a second inmate was also quarantined
Both inmates were isolated and then tested for COVID-19. The FCSO received the test results Friday night.
Staff have both inmates isolated in a negative airflow single holding cell where they are recovering.
The FCSO has also quarantined a small group of inmates housed in the same unit. None of those inmates are exhibiting symptoms. All these inmates are having their health checked frequently by Naphcare, the company that provides medical care to the inmates, including taking their temperature twice daily.
“We knew this was a possibility,” said Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin. “We had protocols and plans in place, and the corrections staff surpassed even our highest expectations to respond quickly and take measures to protect everyone’s health and safety.”
Baldwin also states that since early March, the FCSO has also taken several proactive measures to maximize cleanliness in the correctional facilities.
These include:
· Thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting all work/common areas before and after each shift
· Enhanced medical screenings for new inmates, and increased temperature screenings for inmates and staff
· Deliveries of Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, including N95 masks, disposable examination gloves, Tyvec bodysuits, and shoe covers
· Deliveries of bleach, disinfectant cleaners, spray bottles, and hand sanitizer
· Reduction of the total jail population by more than 500-inmates charged with a non-violent, low-level offenses
· All arrestees now processed at a single facility, Franklin County Corrections II-Jackson Pike
· Identified quarantine locations at both facilities, including negative air pressure single cells to isolate ill inmates safely
In early March, the FCSO Operations Center began working with the courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement to reduce the jail population, which has been decreased by nearly 33%.