One inmate has tested positive for COVID-19 in a Metro Nashville jail. 53 additional inmates who were in the same unit are now quarantined.
Nashville / Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall was notified this afternoon the first inmate in Davidson County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) custody has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual was moved to isolation April 1after exhibiting signs of the coronavirus. Medical staff, contracted through the Metropolitan Nashville Health Department (MPHD), describes the inmate’s symptoms as “mild.”
“I have emphasized from the beginning of this public health emergency our facilities are a microcosm of the Nashville community and we fully expected to have positive cases – that day has now arrived,” Hall said. “We are working closely with the medical provider and health department to ensure the safety of both our staff and the inmate population. Last month, the DCSO devised a housing plan to accommodate the medical isolation situation we face today and we hope to see a continued decrease in the number of those incarcerated.”
Hall indicated 53 inmates are now quarantined in accordance with Center for Disease Control guidelines. None of those inmates is symptomatic; however, they were housed in the same unit as the individual now testing positive. Since last month, each arrestee has a temperature check by medical staff prior to entering the booking room. Every DCSO employee is also checked before reporting to his/her job assignment.
Originally jailed in February, the inmate is between the ages of 31 and 40. He is jailed on a felony drug charge.
