WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — Officials at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail say an inmate and a staff member have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Additionally, jail officials say two other staff members are “patients under investigation” and are waiting on their test results for COVID-19.
According to a VPRJ news release, the jail was notified Thursday morning that the inmate’s test result had come back positive.
The inmate was booked at the jail July 22 and was immediately placed into quarantine, per jail health protocol.
After their quarantine period was over and they joined the rest of the population. At that time, they started having symptoms and then were put back into isolation and tested for COVID-19.
Upon notice of the positive result, the Peninsula Health District was notified by the jail about the result.
They are working with health officials to monitor and test the unit where the inmate was housed, as well as VPRJ staff.
The inmate is being monitored by the jail’s doctor and medical staff.
All three staff members — the one with the positive test result and two waiting on results — are in quarantine.
“I want to be very clear; VPRJ has adhered to our local health district and the CDC’s guidance since the COVID-19 Pandemic began. We have conducted daily temperature checks on staff; instituted a mandatory mask policy when present anywhere within the facility for staff, as well as inmates; placed new commits into quarantine once they are booked into the facility; restricted movement among staff and inmates throughout the facility; prohibited members of the public from entering the facility unless they had a specific and approved reason such as needing to see the magistrate; and, cleaned and disinfected throughout the facility daily and routinely,” Superintendent Col. Roy Witham said in the news release.
