Female Inmate At Prince George's County Jail Has Coronavirus
UPPER MARLBORO, MD — A woman who is a jail inmate in Prince George's County is being treated for the coronavirus, authorities with the county's Department of Corrections said Monday. A 29-year-old female inmate tested positive for COVID-19 and has been quarantined in a negative pressure isolation cell in the facility’s medical unit since Thursday after complaining of symptoms.
The Department of Corrections is working with the Health Department to determine which inmates may have been exposed to the virus. At this time, no officers are believed to have been exposed by the ailing inmate.
In response to the positive test, jail staff has provided additional sanitary supplies to the female housing unit, which currently holds 28 inmates. Medical staff members are taking temperatures and monitoring for symptoms twice a day in the unit. Members of command staff and medical staff have briefed the inmates about the situation.
"The health and well-being of the people in custody and staff of the Department of Corrections is of paramount importance," said Department of Corrections Director Mary Lou McDonough said in a news release.
Inmates showing potential COVID-19 symptoms will be isolated in a negative pressure cell.
Staff members have been told to stay home if they feel sick. Temperature checks for staff have been conducted in the jail's lobby for the past two weeks. People with fevers have note been allowed into the facility.
There have been no reported cases of staff members testing positive for coronavirus so far.
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Prince George's County residents exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus have a place to go to get screened if the have an appointment only. The PG County Health Department and the Maryland National Guard have set up a screening facility at FedEX Field in Landover. The facility, which began screening patients Monday, was established to take the pressure off area physicians, hospitals, emergency rooms, and health care centers expected to see a flood of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.
Individuals who show up at FedEx Field without an appointment or who do not display symptoms, will not be screened.
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This article originally appeared on the Bowie Patch
