Since the COVID-19 pandemic began earlier this year, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department has been taking precautions to prevent an outbreak in the county’s two jails.

On Thursday, Aug. 27, the department reported some good news in that regard. Though the Sheriff’s Department had found a half-dozen jail-related cases among staff earlier this summer, a new round of testing didn’t find any additional cases.

The Thursday press release from the department stated that testing on inmates will begin in short order and noted that the latest round of tests for jail staff had been very good.

“After five Guilford County Detention Officers tested positive for COVID-19 in the month of July and one in the month of August, Sheriff Rogers required mandatory COVID-19 testing for all Greensboro and High Point Detention Center employees and inmates,” the news release stated. “Out of the 337 individuals tested last week (which included Detention Officers, the Sheriff’s Administrative Staff, plus civilian medical unit and food service employees at both Jails), no new positive test results were reported.”

However, the Sheriff’s Department will know a lot more about what it’s up against in early September after the department begins testing inmates. The wholesale testing of the inmate population for the coronavirus will begin on Monday, Aug. 31 at both the jail in Greensboro and the jail in High Point.

All employees and staff of the jail are being encouraged to continue to follow national guidelines for wearing masks and social distancing.

“The Sheriff’s Office prevention and response efforts have continued to adapt to the changing conditions during this global pandemic,” the press release stated.

Some of the precautions the jails have been taking include limiting visitation, temperature checks for those entering the jails and the practice of frequently sanitizing high use areas.

 

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