WEBER COUNTY, Utah, June 29, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Five inmates and one employee at the Weber County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said in a news release Monday night.
“The inmates and the employee that have tested positive have been placed on isolation,” the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
The inmates are currently under the supervision of Vital Core Health Services, the medical provider under contract with the jail, and officials have begun mass testing of employees and inmates believed to have been exposed to the coronavirus.
Twelve employees were tested over the weekend, and all of those tests were negative, WCSO said.
“We have been working closely with McKay Dee Hospital to obtain testing supplies for continued mass testing of employees and inmates. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to McKay Dee Hospital for their assistance. Mass testing of potentially exposed individuals will be ongoing,” WCSO said in the post.
Sections of the jail that likely have been exposed are now quarantined. Medical staff is conducting daily temperature and oxygen saturation checks of the quarantined inmates. Any inmate who is identified as being symptomatic will be moved to a single cell quarantine unit and tested for COVID.
“The inmates in the quarantine units will continue to have access to video visits and email messaging so that they can contact family and legal counsel,” the post said.
WCSO said it is working with the medical staff to identify medically vulnerable inmates who have been exposed to COVID and move them to single-cell quarantine units.
The amount of soap and cleaning supplies provided to all inmates has been increased, and disposable food trays are now being used in the quarantine units.
“Some members of our staff have brought in their sewing machines and have been manufacturing cloth masks for our inmates,” WCSO said. So far, they’ve made over 1,400 cloth face masks. All employees, contractors, and visitors are required to wear a mask.
“We are accepting donations of cloth masks,” WCSO said. “If a member of the community wishes to donate, they can contact our front office at 801-778-6600 to make arrangements to drop them off.”
