MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County has been alerted to 33 cases of coronavirus linked to the Montgomery County Jail, spokesman Dan Suffoletto said.
The cases involve 28 inmates and five staff members, Suffoletto said. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office disputed Public Health’s numbers saying the cases involve 26 people.
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“A jail often reflects the trends and needs of our community,” said Chief Deputy Daryl Wilson. “We continue to implement best practices.”
A group of organizations called a press conference Wednesday morning calling the outbreak a danger to prisoners and staff as well as the rest of the community. The group also is pushing for the entire jail to be tested for the virus.
Wilson said testing the entire jail is a challenge because of the revolving population at the facility.
“It changes daily, it changes every hour,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the sheriff’s office met by phone with Public Health to discuss the possibility of changing testing practices at the jail, which currently includes those that are symptomatic and medically necessary.
“We want to be open for ideas…we’re in this together,” Wilson said during an afternoon press conference. ‘It’s not like we are saying we’re not going to test.”
Currently the jail has enhanced screening procedures for inmates and is isolating those showing symptoms and those who are positive for the virus, Wilson said.
The sheriff’s office is also educating inmates and employees about sanitary practices.
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