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Pierce County Jail dealing with COVID-19 outbreak among inmates

Almost three dozen inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. In response, about 180 inmates are in quarantine.

TACOMA, Wash. — A COVID-19 outbreak has hit Pierce County Jail.

Up to 35 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 as of Sunday, according to information from the jail.

Deputy Sheriff Jeff Papen said the outbreak reflects the reality outside the jail’s walls.

“The Pierce County jail is like a microcosm of our greater Pierce County area,” Papen said. COVID-19 case rates are on the increase, "so it only goes hand in hand and it’s natural that we’d see cases at the jail also increase.”

But American Civil Liberties Union attorneys say the situation is particularly dangerous because people that are incarcerated can’t keep themselves safe.

“They’re not able to socially distance, they’re not able to move around with free will as we are in the community, and they’re not able to protect themselves,” said Jaime Hawk of ACLU Washington.

The ACLU says a limited booking process could also make Pierce County Jail safer because fewer people would be inside.

“The pre-trial population was 70 percent to 80 percent [statewide], so folks in jail are presumed innocent, simply waiting for their trial dates,” Hawk said. "But since COVID, this past year-and-a-half, that pre-trial number is even higher."

Deputy Sheriff Papen said sheriffs have reinstated the booking restrictions that were in effect since last March and throughout the pandemic, and the protocols they’ve set up at the jail such as daily screenings and temperature checks are in line with the advice from the health department.

“There are limitations for everyone now in regards to masks and where you can go and what that looks like, so it does make our job more difficult,” Papen said. “But we’re going to do the best we can to rely on the experts to help guide us through this process.”

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