For The Second Time, Escambia County Suspends Use Of Inmate Crews Due To Positive COVID-19 Case

August 31, 2020

For the second time, Escambia County Corrections has suspended the use of inmate labor due a positive COVID-19 case.

Escambia County Corrections received a positive COVID-19 test result at the work annex, formerly known as the road prison. As a precaution, Escambia County said Sunday that road crew operations have been suspended. The services include groundskeeping throughout the county and support to the landfill, animal services, code enforcement and fleet maintenance.

“Corrections officers and medical teams continue to monitor inmates and recognized that this male inmate had an elevated temperature,” Escambia County Corrections Chief Rich Powell said. “Corrections is working with Community Health Northwest Florida to establish rapid testing for road crew inmates for their health and welfare as well as to minimize the impact on services that are provided throughout the county. 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.”

As of Friday, 236 inmates have been tested since July at the Escambia County Jail for COVID-19.

“There were 158 positive cases and 149 of those cases have been medically cleared and eight have been released from custody, leaving one active positive case on Friday with no medical concerns at this time and 78 negative tests. At the Walton County jail, 29 Escambia County inmates tested positive out of the 146 inmates housed there,” according to the county statement.

The county received its first positive COVID-19 test result at the work annex on July 9 and suspended road crew operations through July 28.

NorthEscambia.com photo,  click to enlarge.

Comments

5 Responses to “For The Second Time, Escambia County Suspends Use Of Inmate Crews Due To Positive COVID-19 Case”

  1. Lance acord on September 14th, 2020 6:16 pm

    The road prison has no medical staff. If you’re sick, they threaten to send you back to castle greyskull. I’m sure there are no concerns or inmates complaining. 250 odd positive or whatever number? Cure all but one by giving a thin mat, 200mg ibuprofen and NOTHING ELSE. can’t wait to hear the body count number they blame on not wearing a mask that if found with one, it’s considered contraband. Let the non violent no threat to public ones out. No jury trials are being scheduled so there’sa huge hit to your constitutional rights (speedy trial) is gone. So they sit there, can’t get out, waiting on a cure on “dead time” people are Being forced to die in our jail From Covid 19 that are no threat to our community. Trespassing, theft, probation violation, bad checks, you know, the real bad, gangsters and the poor who can’t afford bail. WHY???

  2. Willis on August 31st, 2020 9:26 pm

    @ Thomas Paine

    You can’t tell a know it all anything.

  3. Thomas Paine on August 31st, 2020 12:55 pm

    @Melissa Pino

    It states in the article that there have been 158 positive cases.

    This is the second time work crews have been suspended due to COVID.

  4. ALEX on August 31st, 2020 12:22 pm

    II believe there are only two positive cases because i read it on the internet. Our officials would not lie to us, and then again…….

  5. Melissa Pino on August 31st, 2020 10:46 am

    Does anybody–a single person–in Escambia County actually believe that we currently have only two covid cases in our entire prison system?

    The pregnant female inmates situation needs to be solved immediately. Start there, and then get an actual action plan for the other high-risk inmates. It’s beyond time for a facilities-level solution on proper assessment and quarantining, because that’s not happening either.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News