80 inmates, 55 sheriff’s workers in Riverside County have coronavirus
At least 80 inmates and 55 Sheriff’s Department employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said on Saturday, April 11, a stunning jump in figures provided a little more than a week ago.
On April 3, Bianco said 13 inmates and 26 employees had tested positive. Two employees, deputies David Werksman, 51, and Terrell Young, 52, died April 2.
Of the 80 inmates, 16 have recovered and are no longer quarantined, the Sheriff’s Department said in a Tweet on Saturday. Of the 55 employees, three have returned to work, and “several” are expected to do so as they recover in coming weeks.
Some inmates have complained that they are forced to live closer than the recommended 6 feet apart for social distancing and that their medical needs are not being met.
But Bianco said inmates are being well taken care of when he was interviewed on the “Exploited – Crime & Technology” radio show that aired Saturday on AM 590.
“They are being isolated and given medical care,” he said.
The sheriff has said he does not plan to release inmates early to create more space. He said there is no such thing as a low-level offender at his jails now that so few serve time for minor offenses.
“We are getting a lot of demands and requests for inmates to be released because they are contracting this. If you don’t want to contract this virus while in custody, don’t break the law. You can’t get any more plain than that,” Bianco said at an April 2 news conference after Young’s death.
Around Southern California, there are profound differences between the descriptions of the care and conditions in jails made by inmates and law enforcement officials. Inmates say sick people aren’t being treated, jails are dirty and supplies to clean the jails and themselves are minimal. Sheriff’s departments, which operate the jails, say the health of inmates is a high priority as evidenced by the quality and frequency of the medical care they receive and a focus on cleanliness.
Some jails have banned visitors and stepped up screening to prevent the spread of the virus.
One reason so many employees have been infected is that a large number were exposed to people who had the virus but showed no symptoms, Bianco said in the radio interview. In some cases, the virus spread from an asymptomatic deputy to a spouse who is also a deputy, and both would continue working.
“It shows us that this virus is definitely not discriminatory,” Bianco said. “Any of us can get it. I wish there was a medical study, if you will, of what happened to our agency and how fast it spread. … It showed us this is not what we prepared for.”
Bianco also addressed the public’s concerns about county health orders that prohibit most public gatherings and require face coverings to be worn outdoors.
“The purpose of these orders is not to take away someone’s freedoms or rights,” Bianco said. “The order is to limit exposure to each other and stop or slow down the spread of the virus. People are in an uproar; some of them want their neighbors arrested and others want their freedoms. We are getting calls from both.”
He added that contrary to rumors on social media, his deputies have not cited anyone for not wearing a face covering.
An interview with Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin also aired on the show Saturday. Hestrin sought to clarify the conditions under which his office would prosecute violators of the county orders.
“The orders carry the force of law and they are going to be enforced with common sense,” Hestrin said, noting his conversations with heads of other county law enforcement agencies. “If someone is out there and forgot their face mask, you are not going to get arrested and booked into jail. You might get a reminder. If you have extreme situations where someone thought that it’s a good time to have a concert … my office would be willing to file criminal charges if warranted.”