Another big COVID-19 outbreak is reported at Elmwood jail

MILPITAS >> T he number of Santa Clara County jail inmates infected with COVID-19 rose by 36 in a single day, nearly doubling the tally of active in-custody cases and capping a sharp spike charted since New Year’s Eve, according to figures from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

As of Tuesday, an online dashboard maintained by the Sheriff’s Office showed 74 active in-custody cases in the county jails, and over 60 new cases since Dec. 31. Most of the surge has occurred in the Elmwood men’s jail in Milpitas, in units with dorm-style configurations where both inmates and jail staff have said physical distancing is impractical and often impossible.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Low confirmed that most of the new infections were reported in the M8 wing at Elmwood, which has four 68-bed modules. Men being held in those wings said that two of the M8 dorms have been completely cleared out, with inmates there being relocated to quarantine units elsewhere on the property, including at least one section of the women’s jail.

Low said the Sheriff’s Office is conducting contact tracing to determine the origin of the outbreak but so far has not identified the source, or sources.

“We are doing everything within our capacity to mitigate the spread of this contagious virus and to protect the health and safety of everyone within our facilities and the community,” Low wrote in an email.

But several inmates and their relatives have contacted this news organization in the past few days to repeat chronic grievances they have have voiced about jail conditions amid the pandemic, including but not limited to modest clothing allowances, a lack of cleaning supplies and inconsistent adherence to basic COVID-19 safety protocols.

One man being held in an M8 unit said they still see jail deputies not wearing masks and that it’s normal to see food carts being wheeled between housing units without being disinfected. He added that a lack of provided supplies has prompted inmates to use their own towels or even their clothing to clean their spaces.

“We see a lot of violations with cleaning protocols,” said the man, who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation. “We definitely feel unsafe.”

Other inmates and their relatives continue to echo concerns by public defenders and other advocates about co-mingling among inmates from quarantined and nonquarantined units during transport to and from court. A woman who says her husband is being quarantined at Elmwood asserts that given that inmates are limited in their movement and where they can go, staffers and other jail visitors have been overlooked as vectors for introducing the virus into custody settings.

The woman, who also asked not to be named out of retaliation concerns for her husband, alluded to a report by this news organization about a holiday party involving correctional deputies that violated gathering restrictions and distancing and mask-wearing protocols, which coincided with a rise in jail deputy infections and an outbreak at the 7B wing at Main Jail involving about 30 inmates.

“I strongly believe guards gathering for the holidays contributed to this major outbreak within the facility,” she said.

To date, the Sheriff’s Office has recorded more than 360 custody-related COVID-19 infections, according to its data published online.