On February 15, a man was booked into the San Diego Central Jail for charges related to driving under the influence.  Per the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's COVID-19 jail protocol, he was placed in quarantine for seven days.  The inmate was subsequently transferred to the George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa where he was housed in dormitory housing appropriate for his classification level.  Over the next few days, the inmate was transferred to different modules in the same housing unit due to behavioral issues. 

On February 27, the inmate began showing flu-like symptoms and was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.  The housing unit the inmate came from was placed in quarantine.  It was later determined the inmate tested positive for COVID-19. 

Following contact tracing, 106 inmates were tested due to potential contact with this inmate.  The result of the tests found 46 positive cases and 60 negative cases.  The positive cases were checked for symptoms and housed appropriately.  Those moved into isolation are currently in cell-style housing units, which allow for less exposure to each other. 

In each COVID-19 positive case, a thorough contact investigation is conducted to identify inmates and staff who may have been exposed.  Those who test positive are isolated for a minimum of 14 days.  If that person is in our custody, they are monitored by Sheriff's medical staff.  Legally required release dates are not extended based on positive or pending COVID-19 test results.  Those released prior to results being available are followed up with by the County Department of Public Health.

As our nation continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sheriff's Department will evaluate any key information learned through contact investigations and adjust accordingly.  Our protocols to date have been effective in limiting COVID-19 cases within our jail system.  Existing practices at our intake facilities allow for the accommodation of symptomatic inmates at the time of booking.  Early on in our COVID-19 response, we reduced our overall population through a combination of releases and modified booking criteria.  Our jail population has been stable at nearly 4,000 inmates; however, consideration will be given to conducting additional releases if necessary as we continue to monitor our population and the COVID-19 pandemic.

We do not underestimate the challenges we face to keep COVID-19 from entering our county jails and have taken immediate action to safeguard the lives of people in our custody and those who work in our facilities.

As previously mentioned, continuing measures in response to COVID-19 include:

•        Temperature checks for everyone entering jail facilities

•        Daily temperature checks of all inmates in custody

•        Increased cleaning and disinfecting

•        Education and awareness for the inmates

•        Identification and isolation of those with symptoms

•        Empty housing units are designated for isolation to separate the sick from the healthy

•        Masks for inmates and staff, as well as limiting movement at all jails

•        Emphasis on hand washing and good hygiene

•        Testing is available for inmates and is conducted at the direction of a medical provider

Our Sheriff's Medical Services Division is working closely with the County Department of Public Health concerning our ongoing COVID-19 response and clinical trends in support of the contact investigations.  We have begun the process of vaccinating our inmate population who are eligible based on federal, state and county health guidelines.  We are confident our efforts to vaccinate the jail population  County Public Health will be a major benefit to the inmates in our care.

The Sheriff's Department is committed to the safety, security, health and well-being of people in our custody.  Visit www.sdsheriff.net and click on the "COVID-19 Response" slide on our homepage to learn about all the safeguards we have in place to limit the spread of virus.

To watch videos of safety precautions in our jails visit:

COVID-19 Safety Protocols - https://vimeo.com/411633126  

Keeping our Jails Clean - https://vimeo.com/411632442  

COVID-19 Testing https://vimeo.com/434823362