Yuma County Detention Center takes coronavirus precautions

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma County Detention Center (YCDC) is taking extra precautions to keep the inmates and staff safe from the coronavirus.

YCDC houses more than four hundred inmates, some of those who would be susceptible to COVID-19, state Sheriff officials.

The jail has implemented new policies to ensure the safety of both inmates and staff. The facility is cleaned and sanitized on a regular basis by their full time custodial staff.

The staff is also taking additional precautions by continuing to wear gloves and now they are being provided with N-95 masks. These same masks are also available to certain inmates who display flu like symptoms.

Inmates who do experience the flu like symptoms are transferred to isolated areas, like negative pressure rooms which prevent contaminated air in the room from spreading to other parts of the jail.

Sheriff officials reported that medical staff is in the units at least twice a day to continuously monitor the inmates for sickness.

The jail is continuing to process new inmates, however they say courts have put sentencing on hold in an effort to not overwhelm the jail. Those who are still being sentenced are being booked under new protocols, where they are screened before entering the general population.

For those who are visiting the inmates, there is still visitation privileges with the video visitation system, however physical contact inside the facility is being limited.

While the jail is doing what it can to avoid any spread of the virus, they also state that most of their inmates have been in custody for more than 15 days, so right now the inmates are still able to congregate as usual.

As of now, there are no coronavirus cases at any of the prison complexes in Arizona, which has over 42,000 inmates.