HELENA — The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office was notified on Tuesday that a detention officer in the Helena jail tested positive for COVID-19.
All staff and inmates have now been tested for the coronavirus.
"As a result of this testing, we were notified on the evening of Wednesday, September 23, that an inmate had tested positive for COVID-19. The inmate, along with the entire pod, has been placed on quarantine (lock down)," a statement reads.
They are still waiting on some test results and some inmates at the facility have been reluctant to be tested (33%).
The center recently made some changes in protocols, including having the detention officers wear N95 masks.
They have them available for inmates and are requesting they wear them as well, although some are choosing not to.
Lewis and Clark Public Health is participating in the response and conducting contact tracing.