TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — The county jail is reporting zero active cases of COVID-19 after an outbreak began in late November.
As News 18 previously reported, the first case of the virus among inmates was reported on Nov. 30.
Sheriff Bob Goldsmith says about 100 inmates tested positive since then. Two of them were hospitalized but recovered.
As News 18 previously reported, some inmates were locked down in their cells for up to 23 hours a day to prevent the spread.
The jail has been COVID-free since last week, which Goldsmith says is a testament that the jail's visitor restrictions and other COVID protocols are working.
"Testing people and monitoring people, and cleaning, and isolating when we had to and quarantining, and just the staff, medical and COs, doing a good job," he says.
Goldsmith says the virus could make a comeback so he's keeping those protocols in place.
"With a correctional facility like we have, we just can't let our guard down and I'm not going to do that," he says. "I'm not going to put the staff and the inmates' health in jeopardy just to open things back up."
Goldsmith says he's received a lot of questions about when inmates can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. He says he's waiting on health experts to make give him the go-ahead.
