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30 Yellowstone County jail inmates test positive for COVID-19

30 Yellowstone County jail inmates test positive for COVID-19
Posted at 8:22 PM, Aug 21, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-22 16:46:36-04

Thirty inmates in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility have tested positive for COVID-19 this week, Sheriff Mike Linder said Friday.

Linder said in a news release that one male inmate tested positive earlier in the week, so the county tested the roughly 70 other inmates in that unit.

The roughly 30 who tested positive are being moved to an isolation unit inside the jail, Linder said. They are not symptomatic, he said.

All other inmates in that unit, along with others, will continue to be monitored for symptoms, and additional testing will be conducted, according to Linder.

Four other female inmates who had previously either displayed symptoms or tested positive are also being held in isolation.

In May, the jail had seven inmates and one staffertest positive for COVID-19.

Read Linder's full release below:

Earlier this week an inmate in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility was tested for the Covid -19 virus and the test came back positive. As a result, all of the inmates that were in the unit where the infected inmate was housed were tested. We received the results late this afternoon and it was determined that approximately 30 of the inmates in a unit that houses approximately 70 male inmates, tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. Inmates who tested positive are being moved to an isolation area within the facility. It is unknown how many of the inmates who tested positive are active cases or may have tested positive from a previous exposure. As a precaution, all those who tested positive will be isolated from the rest of the population. The inmates who have tested positive and being moved are not symptomatic at this time. All other inmates in that unit, as well as those in the other units, will continue to be monitored for symptoms. Additional testing will also be conducted within the facility.

In addition, four female inmates who had previously either displayed symptoms, or had tested positive, are also being held in isolation.

The YCDF has a 24/7 medical staff on premises.