Updating Developing News: Inmate contact tracing leads to more testing, 4 more COVID-19 cases reported at county jail

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office reports that 12 Alachua County Jail inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 and 22 more have been tested after being identified through contact tracing.

The ASCO first reported on July 6th that eight inmates tested positive. But four more have been added to that total as of July 8th.

According to ASCO Spokesperson Art Forgey, the first inmate in the jail system testing positive for COVID-19 was reported on Saturday, July 4th.

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“The test was performed late Friday evening and the inmate was quarantined. This inmate had been in the jail for 14 days,” Forgey stated.

As of Monday morning, July 6th, the inmate total climbed to 8 positive test results and, as a result, 74 inmates were placed under quarantine. After further testing of those quarantined inmates, Forgey reported that 52 tested negative, 13 tests were pending and there was one refusal of testing. 

Four of those pending test results came back positive.

Forgey also reported that one contract employee in the medical area, a nurse, also tested positive last week and that five employees from the administration building also tested positive.

On July 8th, Forgey reported that 22 inmates through contact tracing, “were identified and that they were being tested. “

Twenty of those tests were performed on Monday, July 6th, Forgey said. “Those 20 tests returned yesterday and all were negative.”

Regarding the additional two test results, “We will have results back tomorrow (July 9th),” Forgey reported.

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