The
COVID-19 outbreak that
As president of a group of criminal defense attorneys known as the
Austin Defense Coalition, Lobb is receiving regular reports from the jail. “The kitchen is closed for another 14 days,” he said, reading from notes from a recent ADC meeting. ”Laundry is shut down. Only one hour of recreation, none of it outside. Few responses to medical requests and those that did took weeks to respond. The folks in quarantine are still getting PB&J sandwiches.”
The COVID outbreak began on Jan. 11 in the larger of the two facilities the
Travis County Sheriff’s Office operates - the
Employees are no longer allowed to wear cloth masks and gaiters after the first case of coronavirus. Author: Jenni Lee Updated: 2:39 PM CST February 8, 2021
That policy also goes for the downtown jail facility located at 500 West 10th St. The plan was activated as soon as authorities started seeing positive COVID-19 cases in mid-January.
According to TCSO spokesperson Kristen Dark, as of Feb. 8, 30 new positive cases have been reported among the inmate population of 1,829. Forty-eight inmates are in quarantine, 59 are confirmed positive cases and 439 inmates are in isolation.
On Feb. 2, corrections officers and civilians helped fold laundry at the Travis County Correctional Complex after an inmate in that unit tested positive. Dark said the inmate s entire housing unit is now in quarantine.
Family members and significant others of inmates at the Travis County Correctional Complex have been voicing concerns to FOX 7 Austin about conditions during the COVID-19 lockdown.
A total of 39 inmates and 22 county employees have tested positive for the coronavirus in the sheriff s latest update. The sheriff s office reports coronavirus numbers every Monday.
Travis County Sheriff s Office employees
Tested/Negative/Positive/Pending
Corrections: 428/323/102/3.
Administrative/Support: 161/112/47/2.
Travis County Sheriff s Office officials said a screening process was designed in February 2020 to prevent COVID-19 from reaching its inmate general population. That early process developed into a three-tiered isolation approach (detailed above in the stats portion), coupled with a litany of other protective measures including: plexiglass barriers, employee screening stations, ample soap and sanitizer, professional cleaning services, anti-microbial mist and HEPA air scrubbers, to name a few, officials noted. Inmates have always had unlimited access to soap in housing units, as well as cells, so they can wash their hands at any time, officials wrote in an advisory. Cleaning products are also in each housing unit, accessible to inmates as they have need. Additional hand sanitizer stations were added in common areas such as hallways. Inmates