Jails respond to COVID-19

Not all local sheriffs are responding the same to the Coronavirus.

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One major concern for those monitoring covid-19 are local jails.

National and local health officials fear cramped - shared conditions could create a hotbed for the virus as inmates go in and out.fox 55's jeremy masukevich reached out to several area sheriffs to learn what they're doing.

At least one local jail official told us he considers the concerns over-exaggerated.

Jeremy?

That's right hunter.a whitley county jail official told me over the phone they'll continue to isolate inmates who test positive for the flu but otherwise they're not planning on any changes.

We reached out to several others about their plans.

Here's what some of them had to say.

In a jail inmates and staff go in and out every day.

In noble county where there's already been one confirmed case of covid-19 the sheriff says they're taking extra precautions to keep the virus from getting in.

We are monitoring when inmates come in.

We have actually added a couple questions to our intake weber told me they are asking questions such as whether or not they have been overseas recently or have been in contact with someone who has.a representative from the huntington county jail says they're also asking inmates if they've been around anyone with the flu.we monitor everyone as they come in.

If they have a fever or if they have any flu like symptoms we are watching that.

And we are encouraging our staff to use universal precautions such as hand washing.weber said they are ?not?

Doing any deep- cleaning other than what they would do any other day.

The huntington county jail says this ?is?

A step they are taking making sure to deep-clean the common areas where inmates spend the most time.im sending out emails constantly as they come in to give them updates so that they know how to protect themselves, protect their homes, and protect this facility.we reached out to the allen county sheriff about what they're doing and haven't heard back.

Allen county health commissioner deborah mcmahan says she expects more conversation with the sheriff as the virus continues to spread.now that it is a pandemic we have the gravatas if you will to be able to say 'no we really need you to do this.'

So those conversations are just starting hunter the state department of corrections today suspended visitation to ?all?

Of its facilities for at least the next two weeks.

But for now what happens in each jail is up to each individual sheriff.

Reporting live in fw, jm, fox 55 news.

We will continue to ask questions about this story.

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