Over the past several days, there have been many questions about the possibility of COVID in the jail. Specifically, among the female population.
Alarm bells went off with a simple entry into a court docket. That entry read “This court has been made aware that the female inmates currently being held in the Scioto County Jail are now under quarantine.”
To get a firm answer, we spoke directly with Sheriff David Thoroughman.
The sheriff looped in the jail’s administrator gave us some valuable information to share with you.
First, there was one female inmate who had tested positive. That inmate was in the medical pod. Sheriff Thoroughman said the medical pod actually has its own air returns and there was no risk of spread within the facility. That female inmate has recovered and there are no positive cases within the jail at this time.
We asked the sheriff about updated protocols since the new surge of cases. In addition, we had to ask about the hot-button issue of mandated vaccinations.
He said, “Our staff within the jail is wearing protective gear as well as the inmates and we have sanitizing materials within the jail.”
Our question about vaccine mandates was very precise. We asked if there is a vaccine mandate for road deputies and/or jail staff. The sheriff said there is no mandate on vaccination. He did add, “We have offered vaccinations to all the inmates.”