HANCOCK COUNTY — Inmates in the Hancock County Jail are wiping off the tables they use, mopping floors, washing their hands regularly and keeping to themselves.
Bridget Foy, the Hancock County Jail commander, said prisoners are taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously, knowing there is little room for error in a crowded jail.
While the inmate count is under 200 for the first time in memory — the population was 178 inmates as of Thursday, March 26 — those in jail have a hard time practicing safe social distancing. But they’re following other precautions set up after a jailer tested positive for COVID-19 in early March. Surfaces are frequently sanitized, and everyone is encouraged to wash their hands frequently. Close watch is being kept for those who might exhibit symptoms.
Jailers are also vetting anyone who gets arrested, asking if they’re sick, have traveled out of the country recently, or have been in contact with anyone who may have been sick.
They’re also checking new inmates to see if they have a fever. Once inmates have been booked into the jail, they are monitored just to make sure.
“So far, we have not had any problems in the blocks,” Foy said. “We’re kind of keeping all of that contained.”
Inmates have been given sanitizing solution and rags, things they can use throughout the day to keep areas clean. Jailers are then collecting the used rags and washing them at the end of every day.
“The inmates are doing a very good job of keeping their space clean,” Foy said. “They understand it and don’t want to get the virus.”
Jailers know just one sick inmate could be a problem.
“Limiting the number of people we’re bringing in has definitely helped,” said Capt. Robert Harris, public information officer for the sheriff’s department.
With the court system all but shut down, the sheriff’s department, which runs the jail, has asked police agencies to use “sound judgement” when bringing people to be jailed. Agencies have been encouraged to issue summonses into court when possible.
During the week of March 16, the jail booked in only nine new inmates, and 28 were released. During the same time frame a month earlier, 59 were booked and 60 were released, so jail movement is way down, Harris said.
For the inmates who are already in the jail, while the quarters may be tight, it’s already a quarantined environment, Harris noted. The worry comes from the people who come and go, like jailers, and the new inmates.
“When we start bringing new people in, that’s where you can have the problems,” Harris said.
Recently, the one scenario jailers are trying to avoid occurred: An inmate had to be restrained.
“We had one over the weekend and we had to go hands-on,” Foy said. “That person could have possibly infected three jailers who are just trying to do their job, and that’s problematic.”
As far as public spaces, in the lobby of the jail, staffers are cleaning surfaces on a daily basis, including phones vistors use to speak with their loved ones behind bars.
Meanwhile, the county jailer who originally tested positive for the virus March 8 and the other two officers he came in contact with appear to be doing well, Foy said.
