Jails in Rolette, Pierce Counties tackle COVID-19 issues
MINOT, N.D. – A pair of jails in north-central North Dakota are tackling their own spikes in COVID-19.
Late last week, Your News Leader reported that the Rolette County Sheriff’s Office had locked its front lobby due to a rise in cases.
Jail administrator Dan Kraft said they held a testing event on Jan. 11 after an inmate in the general population tested positive.
After that testing event, plus a few recent cases since then, the jail reported roughly 90% of inmates and staff testing positive.
For perspective, the jail has roughly 30 inmates, with 20 staff, split between part-time and full-time.
Kraft said besides some staff working overtime to cover, and isolating some inmates from others, the jail is still able to function.
“It’s been spread out a little bit with our staff. It wasn’t all just from this testing event, so we’ve had the luxury of being able to work around it to the best of our abilities,” said Kraft.
Heading south to Rugby, Jail Administrator Michael Graner said the Heart of America Correctional and Treatment Facility is slowly coming out of a lockdown from earlier this month due to COVID-19.
Graner said the lockdown went in place on January 7, following an outbreak a few days prior, and testing continued the week after the outbreak.
He said 57 inmates tested positive and seven staff, but they are nearing the end of their isolation periods.
Your News Leader reached out to Ward County Sheriff Bob Roed. He said as of now, COVID cases aren’t that bad, and they are continuing to follow the health and safety practices they have been throughout the pandemic.
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