Three inmates at Manatee County jail currently positive for coronavirus
There are three inmates who are positive for the coronavirus currently being held at the Manatee County jail, as of Monday afternoon.
All three of the inmates are being held in isolated negative pressure cells, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Randy Warren.
Last week, another inmate was found to be positive and also held in isolation for a few days before being released. The inmate was initially being held elsewhere in the jail when he developed symptoms and was transferred. As a result, the remaining inmates housed in the same cell block were held in quarantine and monitored by the jail’s medical staff.
The latest cases make a total of six inmates at the Manatee County jail who have tested positive since the pandemic started. The jail houses an average of 800 inmates daily.
During a special meeting of the Manatee County Commission on whether to enact a mask mandate, Florida Department of Health Manatee County health officer Dr. Jennifer Bencie said the county’s jail has been fortunate not to have an outbreak like has been seen in other jails and prisons around the state.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has 47 deputies and employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Of those, 25 have since returned to work while 22 remain out sick.
Those who are able to work remotely and have little to no symptoms have been allowed to work from home.
An inmate and a staffer at the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center also have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the most recent updated from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice on Friday.
Four remaining cases in Manatee County associated with correctional facilities are staffers “who live in Manatee, but work in correctional facilities in other counties,” said Christopher Tittel, communications director for the Florida Department of Health Manatee County.
Those four Manatee County residents work at correctional facilities in DeSoto, Pinellas or Hardee counties.
