90 Escambia County Inmates Positive For COVID-19; First Road Prison Case Reported

July 10, 2020

At least 90 Escambia County inmates housed at three different locations have tested positive for COVID-19.

As of Thursday, 132 inmates have been tested at the Escambia County jail for COVID-19. There are 71 positive cases, 12 negative cases and 49 pending results. There are 18 Escambia County inmates housed at the Walton County Jail who also tested positive for COVID-19.

And on Thursday, the first positive case was reported at the road prison, which is now official named the Escambia County Work Annex.

Temperatures are taken as road crews depart and return to the facility each day. This inmate was identified with a temperature upon return earlier this weekand immediately was isolated away from others, according to a statement from Escambia County. As a result of contact tracing, two additional inmates and a correctional officer are being tested.

The county has suspended road crew operations that provide services throughout the county. The suspended services include include road crews , groundskeeping throughout the county and support to the landfill, animal services, code enforcement and fleet maintenance.

“The action to suspend operations of the road crews is taken to protect the inmates, the correctional officers, other county employees that supervise inmate details, as well as the citizens that are in and around some of the operations where we provide services,” Escambia County Corrections Chief Rich Powell said. “The inmate population will remain under observation for a period of 14 days to identify if any other inmates have become infected or present any medical concerns. Fortunately, medical staff advises that no inmates are presenting medical concerns at this time. We are continuing to clean more frequently to try to prevent further spread of COVID-19, and masks continue to be available for all inmates.”

Individuals can call the Escambia County Jail at (850) 436-9650 with questions about inmates.

Comments

2 Responses to “90 Escambia County Inmates Positive For COVID-19; First Road Prison Case Reported”

  1. Fred on July 10th, 2020 1:01 pm

    End work release. Free non-violent offenders. Mandate that all officers and civilian employees wear masks at all time. Keep civilian employees away from onsite workers starting Monday.

  2. John Doe on July 10th, 2020 9:42 am

    oof. not good.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News