OROVILLE, CA (MPG) - Within the past few weeks there has been a rapid increase in the number of lab confirmed COVID-19 cases within the Butte County Jail. This increase coincides with an increase in the number of confirmed cases throughout Butte County and in many parts of California. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is working cooperatively with the Butte County Public Health Department and Wellpath, the jail’s medical services provider, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within the jail and provide appropriate care for those inmates currently infected with the illness.

To date approximately 500 COVID-19 tests have been administered to both inmates and staff members. None of the BCSO staff members tested to date were positive for COVID-19. Currently, among the inmate population, there are 71 lab confirmed COVID-19 cases within the jail. An additional 18 tests are pending lab results.

The overwhelming majority of cases involve asymptomatic individuals or individuals with mild symptoms. One individual was admitted to an area hospital for observation over the weekend. That individual is in stable condition and is likely to be returned to the jail in the coming days. (When there is a need for an enhanced level of care, inmates are transported to local hospitals, but kept under observation by jail staff.) The jail’s medical staff is currently able to provide the necessary medical care within the facility for the rest of the inmates who tested positive. Inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being isolated from the remainder of the population. There is currently sufficient capacity within the jail to accommodate these individuals. Inmates who have tested positive are isolated for ten to fourteen days, in accordance with best practices as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Butte County Public Health Department and Wellpath.

The jail staff closely monitors the jail’s population on a daily basis and utilizes statutory and court ordered authority to maintain sufficient capacity within the jail to manage this regularly changing situation. Inmate, staff and public safety interests are continually being balanced during this process. As a general rule, inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19, who have not yet recovered, will not be released unless it is required by law or is medically necessary. In those cases, the jail will coordinate the release with Public Health to ensure proper post-incarceration housing, monitoring and care.

The jail continues to utilize previously adopted screening and detection protocols in an effort to mitigate the spread.
Those protocols include:

Screening of all intakes for symptomatic individuals; Weekly temperature and symptom checks of all inmates; Use of Personal Protective Equipment, i.e. masks and gloves, by inmates and staff; Increased access to hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies for inmates and staff; Aggressive testing and monitoring in cooperation with the Butte County Public Health Department to detect asymptomatic individuals.

In addition to the protocols noted above, the jail has suspended public visiting and is actively working with the Butte County Superior Court, the Butte County Public Defenders and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office to limit in-person court appearances for inmates during the next 14 days.

Finally, the Sheriff’s Office website has a recently added a COVID-19 information page, which will be updated Monday-Friday. The page contains information about the status of COVID-19 in the jail and can be accessed through this link: https://www.buttecounty.net/sheriffcoroner/Covid-19

COVID-19 is a serious health issue in our community. The Sheriff’s Office continues to encourage everyone to do what they can to reduce the spread of COVID throughout the community.