First SLO County sheriff’s patrol deputy tests positive for COVID-19
A San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy has tested positive for coronavirus, along with a third San Luis Obispo County Jail inmate and two more correctional deputies, the agency reported late Sunday.
It’s the first time a local patrol deputy has tested positive for COVID-19.
In a news release, the agency said that the deputy was tested last week after developing a cough and received positive results on Friday. The deputy’s last day at work was July 15.
The Sheriff’s Office says the deputy wore a mask in all interactions with the public, but the county Department of Public Health has been notified and a contact tracing investigation is underway.
Affected staff were contacted, are being monitored for symptoms and are currently quarantined, the county said.
Additionally, two more correctional deputies were found to be COVID-19 positive last week. Those deputies last worked on July 10 and July 11, and developed symptoms after their shifts.
Those deputies had contact with inmates while at work and were required to wear a mask during those interactions, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The housing areas where they worked have been quarantined, the agency said, adding that it will continue to monitor and test inmates per the recommendations of county public health officials.
The total number of sworn staff members at the Sheriff’s Office to test positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic is now four, with the first case reported July 9. All staff are currently recovering at home.
In addition, a third jail inmate has tested positive for coronavirus. That inmate was asymptomatic and was discovered and isolated Sunday after testing everyone in the unit where the inmate was housed, the agency said Sunday.
The Sheriff’s Office has recently tested more than 300 inmates for COVID-19 with 50 of those tests conducted since Saturday.
On Saturday, the Sheriff’s Office announced that two county jail inmates tested positive for coronavirus, the first reported cases of COVID-19 there. At the California Men’s Colony, 11 inmates have tested positive.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, an inmate developed a fever and body aches late Thursday and was isolated in the jail’s medical unit immediately. The inmate tested for COVID-19 through the county’s Public Health Lab, which is reserved for testing people in congregate living situations and critical workers.
The next day, the Sheriff’s Office was notified the test was positive.
On Saturday, a second inmate was isolated and tested for COVID-19 after developing a sore throat, according to the release. Positive test results came back the same day.
