Twin Falls Sheriff: Several Inmates Positive with COVID-19

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-Several inmates have recently tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) at the Twin Falls County Detention Center.

Twin Falls County Sheriff Tom Carter said during a press conference the first positive case was reported on July 16 in the jail facility. The inmate was placed in isolation and the other inmates within the same cell block were tested. Most of the test came back positive, however the majority of them have not exhibited any signs or symptoms of COVID-19. None of the jail staff have tested positive for the virus.

The sheriff said as of now, out of the 300 inmates and staff at the jail, two people are exhibiting symptoms and 37 who are known to have the virus. The county has been testing the inmates in batches and on Monday received 46 results back, 25 of which were positive. The county anticipates more positive test results to be released in the coming days.

Sheriff Carter said the first confirmed case involved an inmate who had been in the jail since May, so it is unclear how the virus was introduced into the facility. The sheriff's office has been screening inmates as they've been booked into the jail since March and when COVID-19 cases begun to rise in Idaho. Temperature checks have been taken daily since on both inmates and staff.

The detention facility is currently overcrowded with 80 inmates sleeping on the floor. Sheriff Carter said another 80 inmates had been sentenced to go to state facilities, but the Idaho Department of Corrections stopped taking inmates when the pandemic hit Idaho.