Prisoners playing chess behind prison bars. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
SALT LAKE CITY — Coronavirus is now behind bars at Salt Lake County jails.
Six inmates and seven employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.
Sheriff Rivera joined Debbie Dujanovic and Dave Noriega to talk about the outbreak’s impact on prisoners and staff.
“What does the outbreak look like in the jails?” Dave asked.
Rivera said the outbreak started in the Oxbow Jail in South Salt Lake.
“We have since moved all of the inmates who have tested positive over to the Metro Jail,” the sheriff said. “That is where our medical team is. And we have the capability to quarantine everyone in a single cell. So anyone who had to be quarantined because of the positive cases has been moved to the Metro Jail.”
“Are we looking at serious cases here? Are we looking at initial symptoms or have they deteriorated and become much more severe?” Dave asked.
“We don’t have severe cases,” Rivera assured. “We have some employees who have also tested positive, and they also have symptoms. They’re not in our facilities. They are at home quarantining. They are some of our sworn members as well as our civilian staff,” she said.
“Are you growing concerned that you may run out of guards?” Debbie asked.
“We have a large force. So seven is an impact but not a significant impact. We can still operate the same way that we were,” the sheriff said. “We also have a great medical team. That’s the fortunate part. We can single cell everyone and take care of the prisoners.”
“What does testing look like and how are you going to conduct it?” Dave asked.
She said six more prisoners are pending tests and the results are delivered quickly.
“As soon as we find out, that’s when we will be able to make a decision on where to quarantine them in our jail or if they go to the medical unit,” the sheriff said.
Rivera also said employees are being tested if they show the signs and symptoms.
“There’s no priority for the law enforcement. They are treated just like anybody else would be. So sometimes that takes a little bit longer,” she said.
COVID-19 coronavirus is transmitted from person to person. It is a virus that is similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:
Local resources
State of Utah: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Coronavirus Information Line – 1–800–456–7707
National Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commonly asked questions, World Health Organization
Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, a.s well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play