Racine County Reduces Jail Pop. By 25% To Slow Coronavirus

Editor's note: the headline of this article has been updated.

RACINE COUNTY, WI — The Racine County Sheriff's Office has reduced the jail population and taken other steps to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus through its staff and the inmate population.

A release from the sheriff's office lists out lots of actions the office is taking, especially after one employee tested positive for the coronavirus. That employee has since recovered, the release says.

Community members, along with inmates at the Racine County Jail and Ellsworth Correctional, have made over 2,500 masks and 500 gowns for local first responders and medical facilities.

Here's a list of what the sheriff's office is doing to slow the spread, as obtained from the release:

• Reduced the jail population by over 25%
• Created two isolation floors and two quarantine floors
• Temperature monitoring of all incoming staff, professionals, and inmates
• Two-tier quarantining of all new inmates upon admission: days 1-7, days 8-14
• Jail staff and inmates trained in proper sanitization methods
• All personnel working within the secure perimeter of the jail required to wear a fabric mask
• All inmates wear a mask when outside of their dayroom
• Masks provided for use by all incoming law enforcement & transporting staff
• Inmate workers wear a mask when outside of their living units
• CDC guidelines posted throughout all areas of the Sheriff’s Office, including patrol station and jail
• Hand sanitizer deployed to all workstations
• Sanitizing performed five times per day of the secured perimeter of the jail and common areas of the LEC
• Personal protective equipment issued to all operational staff
• Emergency Operations Center opened
• Members of the community as well as inmates of the Racine County Jail and Ellsworth Correctional have produced over 2,500 masks and 500 gowns in a large-scale sewing operation for distribution of masks to local long-term care facilities and first responders
• Operations Division moved to a modified work schedule to better prevent cross contamination and allow for isolation

"Due to the proactive and aggressive steps undertaken by the staff of Racine County Sheriff’s Office, we remain healthy and committed to serving our community," Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said in the release.