Opinion: Lockdown in San Diego County jails shows COVID-19 is still a problem

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The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s decision Thursday to start a “full system lockdown” in county jails due to a surge in positive tests for COVID-19 among inmates is one more reminder that the pandemic remains an immense problem. Two inmates died in the county jails this week, and The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the outbreak is suspected as being responsible.

As of Friday morning, there were 147 active COVID-19 cases among the 4,227 people in the jail system. Of the 147, 108 were in isolation as a precautionary measure. Two nurses in Vista and two deputies at the South Bay Detention Facility have also reportedly tested positive in recent days.

Under the lockdown, all social visits have been temporarily suspended, and all jail employees must wear N-95 masks at all times while on the job. Temperature checks of those in quarantine modules have been resumed.

The Sheriff’s Department says it’s gone above and beyond in trying to keep jails safe in a difficult time. But given that more than 2,000 inmates and more than 900 workers have been infected with COVID-19, critics disagree. The ACLU, which sued Sheriff Bill Gore earlier this year over county jails’ response to the pandemic, has again called on Gore to reduce jail crowding. If the lockdown doesn’t reverse the surge, that seems like an obvious step.