COVID-19 outbreak in SLO County Jail declared over
–The San Luis Obispo County Jail’s COVID-19 outbreak, which started Dec. 10, 2020, and infected 63 inmates and seven sworn staff, has been declared over by the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department. The last positive case linked to the outbreak was diagnosed Jan. 12, 2021. The majority of the jail patients have done well, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, with one hospitalization and two emergency room visits. Everyone has been cleared from isolation, and the area of the jail affected is no longer under quarantine.
In response to the pandemic, the jail has implemented safety measures to prevent the COVID-19 virus from entering the facility. Since March, the jail has been isolating symptomatic individuals, quarantining anyone entering the facility or exposed to the virus, requiring personal protective equipment (PPE), performing COVID-19 testing, screening staff for symptoms daily, limiting outside visitors, and increasing cleaning measures.
In an extra effort to keep the jail safe for residents that must live in this congregate environment, and as a response to the outbreak, custody staff were offered the COVID-19 vaccine last week. Public health’s decision to offer the vaccine to jail staff at the beginning of the county’s phase 1b Tier 1 vaccine plan was supported by the county’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, a group of county stakeholders charged with providing input to public health regarding equitable vaccine distribution.
The total number of inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020 is 84 as well as 36 sheriff’s deputies: 16 patrol deputies and 20 correctional deputies.
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