PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The number of COVID-19 cases at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail has more than doubled since the last update.
Interim superintendent Chris Walz confirmed 41 inmates have tested positive.
“I am definitely concerned about a larger outbreak which is a harsh reality of dealing with this virus," Walz said via email. "However we are diligent in our efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19.”
Asked how the virus may have been introduced into the jail, he said: "64 percent of the individuals that have tested positive were asymptomatic. We are still retracing steps to find the source.”
Walz said inmates who have symptoms are removed from general population and placed on medical observation.
"All individuals that tested positive have been moved to a housing area and placed in single cells and are being closely monitored by medical staff having their temps taken twice a day," he said, adding inmates who tested negative are also in single cells and having their temperature monitored.
The number of coronavirus cases at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail is updated on its official website.
On Tuesday morning, the website said only 8 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 but by Tuesday afternoon, officials updated the website to reflect the latest figures.
Walz said three staff members and two contracted staff members also tested positive for COVID-19. He said in response to these new cases, the jail has been placed on lockdown and new intakes have been suspended until further notice.
Preventative measures were put in place at the jail last month.
Officials are checking the temperatures of staff members before they enter the jail, crews are cleaning and sanitizing the facility to follow CDC recommendations, and officials canceled on-site visitation for family and friends. Instead, officials are giving inmates free video visits.
Relatives of inmates have voiced concerns about the coronavirus spreading in confined spaces like jails. And jail populations already have higher rates of disease, thanks in part to close living quarters, making social distancing difficult.