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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICEThe newly opened North Branch Jail near Santa Maria has reported its first COVID-19 cases.
Six inmates at the newly opened North Branch Jail have tested positive for COVID-19.
Two inmates at the jail near Santa Maria tested positive on Sunday. Another three tested positive Monday, and one tested positive Tuesday.
All of the six inmates are asymptomatic, said Raquel Zick, the public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Use of the new jail started Saturday when 244 inmates were transported from the county’s Main Jail in Santa Barbara to isolate them from the inmates who tested positive during that jail’s COVID-19 outbreak, which began on Dec. 8.
Ms. Zick said all the transferred inmates were quarantined and tested daily since their arrival.
It was during this surveillance testing that the COVID-19 positive inmates were identified, according to a news release from Ms. Zick.
Since the Jan. 18 update by the sheriff’s office, the Main Jail has identified 28 additional COVID-19 positive inmates. There have been a total of 249 cases in this outbreak, which includes 37 active cases, 208 recovered, and four inmates who were released.
Custody staff are working with the county’s Wellpath healthcare partners to monitor and care for the six inmates who tested positive. Ms. Zick said they have been rehoused and isolated in a separate housing area.
The sheriff’s office is also coordinating with the Santa Barbara County Superior Court and the Public Defender’s Office to adjust court appearances to prevent the spread of the virus through the movement of inmates.
In addition, all staff, contractors, vendors, and others who work in positions having direct inmate contact are regularly tested and required to wear an N95 mask while working, Ms. Zick noted.
She said the sheriff’s office has worked on a continual basis with its Wellpath and Public Health partners to address this outbreak as well as to establish and constantly re-evaluate plans for health safety within the Main Jail.
Inmates are tested when they arrive in custody and are housed separately from the general population during the initial 10 days of their stay. They are tested again before they are moved out of the quarantine area into other areas of the facility.
During their stay, inmates are tested whenever they exhibit symptoms and whenever they might have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, Ms. Zick explained.
The sheriff’s office continues to offer all three COVID-19 vaccines to all inmates.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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