Oakland County Jail has its first coronavirus case

The Oakland County Jail has its first confirmed case of COVID-19 in an inmate, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Monday.

The inmate has been in quarantine at the jail since testing positive a couple days ago, Bouchard said. A number of other inmates “in (the infected inmate’s) circle” are also quarantined at the jail and under observation, he said.

Meanwhile, as of Monday, Oakland County judges had approved early release of 47 inmates due to COVID-19 concerns, and a number of other early releases are pending. To be considered for early release, inmates can’t have been charged with a violent crime or have a history of violence. They also must have an underlying health condition and/or have a bond set at less than $1,000.

Bouchard said the jail population is also markedly down because deputies are making fewer arrests since the COVID-19 outbreak. That’s because “people are out less doing things” and for those who are, deputies have been instructed to not risk person-to-person contact unless necessary, he said. For example, drivers aren’t — for the most part — being pulled over for minor traffic violations, which is when arrests are often made for outstanding warrants or for other crimes detected during the stop, Bouchard said.

Still, he noted, arrests are happening when criminal activity is spotted.

“If you commit a crime, you’re going to jail,” Bouchard said.

A number of sheriff’s deputies remain in quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19, Bouchard said. He declined to say exactly how many because it speaks to staffing levels, he explained.

Since the outbreak, there’s been a greater emphasis on cleaning and disinfecting at the jail, Bouchard said last week. Inmate visits have been suspended except for attorneys who meet with clients through video-conferencing. However, inmates are being provided one phone call and one video visit, done remotely, per week at no charge.

Further governor action

On March 29, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed another executive order related to COVID-19, Executive Order 2020-29, detailing protocols to reduce exposure risks at the Michigan Department of Corrections. County jail and local lockups are encouraged to adopt the measures if they haven’t already, which include:

• Screening everyone who enters or leaves a facility, including staff, offenders and vendors

• Restricting all visits, except for attorney-related visits

• Limiting off-site appointments except for urgent or emergency medical treatment

• Developing and implementing a protocol for incarcerated persons with COVID-19 symptoms

• Providing appropriate personal protection equipment to all staff as recommended by the CDC to the fullest extent possible

• Instituting stringent cleaning of all areas and surfaces on a regular and ongoing basis

• Ensuring access to adequate personal-hygiene supplies

• Practicing social distancing in all programs and classrooms

• Minimizing crowding The order also gives more flexibility to local officials in releasing inmates considered to be in the vulnerable population. They include older inmates, those with chronic health conditions or who are pregnant, and anyone in custody for a traffic violation and failure to appear or pay. Transfer of prisoners from one facility to another has also been suspended.

“The health and safety of all Michiganders remains our top priority during this public health crisis and that includes those incarcerated in our jails and juvenile detention centers,” Whitmer stated in a news release. “It is challenging for inmates and employees to practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, and this Executive Order will put commonsense protocols into place to protect our jail and juvenile detention center populations.”