21 inmates infected with coronavirus in Wake County Detention Center outbreak
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office reported a coronavirus outbreak Thursday at the Wake County Detention Center on Hammond Road.
Approximately 21 inmates in one pod tested positive, according to a news release. Each pod at the detention center holds 40 to 56 inmates.
The Hammond Road detention center and downtown Raleigh detention center can hold a combined 1,568 detainees.
More test results are pending, and all remaining inmates will be tested, the release stated. Many of those tested were not symptomatic.
People who have tested positive and who are waiting for their test results are being quarantined in single cells, the release stated. Inmates who test negative will spend another seven days in quarantine.
Staff-issued personal protective equipment remains mandatory for employees, and the pod where the outbreak occurred is being sanitized.
The Sheriff’s Office will continue to only allow legal counsel and bail bonds people to visit the detention facility. Staff will continue to be screened with temperature checks, the release stated.
Reducing jail populations
Some counties have reduced their jail populations to slow the spread of coronavirus. Even before the pandemic, some also were making changes to help inmates awaiting trial who could not afford to post bail.
The average daily jail population in Wake County’s detention centers has dropped significantly since winter.
The jail population in February was at 1,312 inmates. In July, the average daily jail population was 1,062.
In February, the Durham County jail had an average daily population of 395. In July, it was 240, The News and Observer has reported.
Outbreaks at Durham and Orange county jails
There are current COVID-19 outbreaks in the Durham and Orange county jails too.
In Durham County, there are 26 active jail cases: five in staff members and 21 in inmates, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services website.
It is the second outbreak at the jail, where eight detention officers previously tested positive and one died.
In Orange County, three jail staff members and one inmate have tested positive for the virus, the state website shows.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 2:01 PM with the headline "21 inmates infected with coronavirus in Wake County Detention Center outbreak."