COVID-19 Outbreak At Pierce County Jail To Limit Bookings: Report

TACOMA, WA — A COVID-19 outbreak at the Pierce County Jail has sickened dozens of inmates and forced over a hundred more into quarantine, according to a new report in the Tacoma News Tribune.

As the News Tribune reports, the outbreak was discovered Sunday after up to 35 inmates tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the jail to put between 160 and 180 other inmates into quarantine — nearly a third of the jail's current population.

The jail has the capacity to hold 1,700 inmates and currently employs around 300 correctional staff. There have been no reports of the outbreak impacting jail employees.

In response, the jail says it will only be booking people who have been arrested on suspicion of violent crimes, like murder, manslaughter, assault, rape, child molestation, kidnapping and domestic violence, per the News Tribune's reporting.

Pierce County's website says the jail is still awaiting further guidance from the CDC on COVID-19 regulations, but that the jail is restricting visitors and has closed the public reception desk. It is also requiring mask use and daily COVID-19 screenings for staff members before they enter the facility.

>> Read the full report from the News Tribune.