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MILPITAS – The number of inmates at Santa Clara County Jail infected with COVID-19 increased by 36 in a single day, nearly doubling the number of active detention cases and capping a marked peak since New Years Eve, according to figures from the Santa Claus Office of the Clara County Sheriff.
On Tuesday, an online dashboard updated by the sheriff’s office showed 74 cases of active detention in county jails and more than 60 new cases since Dec.31. Most of the outbreak occurred in Elmwood Men’s Prison in Milpitas, in units with dormitory-like setups where inmates and prison staff said physical distancing was impractical and often impossible.
Sheriff’s sergeant. Michael Low has confirmed that most of the new infections have been reported in Elmwood’s M8 wing, which has four 68-bed modules. Men held in those wings said two of the M8 dormitories had been completely emptied, with inmates moved to quarantine units elsewhere on the property, including at least one section of the women’s prison.
Low said the sheriff’s office is conducting contact tracing to determine the origin of the outbreak but has so far not identified the source (s).
“We are doing everything in our power to mitigate the spread of this contagious virus and to protect the health and safety of everyone within our facilities and the community,” Low wrote in an email.
But several inmates and their relatives have contacted this news agency in recent days to reiterate the chronic grievances they have voiced about prison conditions amid the pandemic, including, but not limited to, modest clothing allowances, a lack of cleaning supplies and inconsistent adherence to basic conditions. COVID-19 security protocols.
A man detained in an M8 unit said he always saw prison deputies not wearing masks and it was normal to see food carts rolling between housing units without being disinfected. He added that the lack of supplies prompted inmates to use their own towels or even clothes to clean their spaces.
“We are seeing many violations of cleaning protocols,” said the man, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. “We really don’t feel safe.”
Other detainees and their families continue to echo the concerns of public defenders and other defenders that detainees from quarantined and non-quarantined units mix during transport to and from the court. A woman who says her husband is quarantined in Elmwood says that because inmates are limited in their movement and where they can go, prison staff and other visitors have been overlooked as vectors of introduction of the virus into detention facilities.
The woman, who also asked not to be named due to fears of reprisals against her husband, alluded to a report by the news organization of a holiday party involving correctional deputies that violated assembly restrictions and distancing and mask wearing protocols, which coincided with an increase in prison assistant infections and an outbreak at Wing 7B of the main prison involving around 30 inmates.
“I firmly believe that the guards gathered for the holidays have contributed to this major epidemic within the establishment,” she said.
To date, the sheriff’s office has recorded more than 360 custody-related COVID-19 infections, according to their data posted online. As coronavirus cases continue to rise in the Bay Area and statewide, county jails have been anything but immune, with earlier peaks that included nearly 100 inmates over a two-week period spanning July and August at Elmwood Institution and an increase in Wing 5B of the Main Prison in July.
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