TOM GREEN COUNTY, Texas — The first case of COVID-19 has been reported within the Tom Green County Detention Center. The patient is a man in his late 30s.
The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office said in a press release immediately after receiving the positive test result, the inmate was isolated in a negative pressure cell to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 within the jail facility.
Inmates within the detention center have been, and will continue to be, provided the necessary resources to protect themselves from the virus.
Additionally, the release said, all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines are aggressively adhered to within the facility. The detention center will conduct business as usual, partially because of the design of the new facility which affords deliveries, attorney's visits and other business to be conducted in areas separated from the detention areas. Of note, the release said governor's orders still prohibit face-to-face visitation with inmates.
The detention center maintains medical staffing at the facility in coordination with Shannon Medical Center to provide the best possible medical care for inmates. Any inmate who is identified as a COVID-19 concern will be treated and cared for by Shannon's licensed medical and nursing personnel.
"While we understand the concerns of individuals who have a family member currently incarcerated at the Tom Green County Detention Center, we are unable to identify those individuals to the public due to Federal Patient Privacy Laws," the release said.
