County jail inmate alleges in tort claim COVID-19 exposure
No prisoners have so far tested positive for coronavirus, county spokeswoman says
A Santa Fe County jail inmate is threatening to sue the county, alleging in a tort claim notice he is being held in a cell near a man who has tested positive for COVID-19.
But county spokeswoman Carmelina Hart said Monday the facility has no confirmed cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
The notice, which the inmate’s attorney, Parrish Collins, sent to the county Thursday, also accuses the jail of failing to provide detainees with information on how protect themselves from the virus and supplies to prevent infections, such as hand sanitizer and wipes.
“This is what we heard from our client,” Collins said Monday. “He is not a doctor or anything else, but he is very concerned.”
Hart said two inmates at the jail have been tested for the
coronavirus. One man, booked March 14, tested negative, she said, and test results are pending for another man who was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center after a medical incident at the jail. She did not provide details on the incident.
Both men remain in quarantine in separate cells, Hart said.
The tort claim notice asks the county to preserve all medical records for the inmate it alleges has a confirmed case of COVID19, any communications on plans to protect inmates from the coronavirus and all documentation of measures taken to protect inmates. Hart said the county has implemented enhanced cleaning practices to prevent the possible spread of the virus, and all inmates have soap for washing their hands.
While crews clean common areas, inmates are responsible for cleaning their own cells, a practice Hart said has long been in place.
The jail provides a cleaning cart with supplies for inmates, such as disinfectant, glass cleaner, mops and rags, she said.
The county also has increased its separation and quarantine procedures for people newly booked into the jail.
Anyone showing symptoms of an infection has been held for 14 days in a quarantine pod with individual cells, and inmates with no symptoms have been held in a separate area for seven days for monitoring before being housed with the general population. Now, Hart said, inmates with no symptoms will be separated for 14 days.
On Monday, 17 women who were not showing symptoms of COVID-19 were being held in segregation, Hart said.
The jail has two housing units for newly booked men. One with 10 cells for inmates charged with serious violent offenses was empty Monday, she said.
“The second intake is dorm style,” she added. “This is for low-custody inmates. It houses 48. As of today, we have 26 in there.”