Three inmates at the Boulder County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19 after being exposed to a jail employee with the virus, a jail official said Friday.
Test results are also pending for a fourth inmate, Boulder County sheriff’s Division Chief Jeff Goetz said.
The employee is at home, while the three inmates have been moved to a quarantine area, Goetz said.
The inmates and the employee could be quarantined for up to 14 days, Goetz said. “It all depends. They will be tested again and we will see where we are at.”
Since March, eight staff members and nine inmates have been tested positive for the virus, Goetz said.
Sheriff Joe Pelle in an interview with the Leader earlier this month said because of COVID jail capacity has been reduced to 280 to 300 inmates at any given time, down from 560. Lower numbers mean inmates can be isolated and tested for COVID before they are incorporated into the general population, he said.
"We're trying to protect our staff and other inmates and the only way we can do that is to keep our numbers low," Pelle said.
