Metro jails, prisons taking precautions as inmates test positive for coronavirus

ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News has learned that there are nine new cases of coronavirus inside the Fulton County Jail, bringing the total to 13.

The Fulton County Jail commander, Col. Mark Adger, told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that he’s proud of the precautions his jail began adding to roughly a month ago for inmates and visitors.

“I have to hand it to my staff. They’ve been phenomenal, along with the NaphCare staff,” Adger said.

Going into the past weekend, the jail had four inmates who had tested positive for coronavirus. By Sunday, the number was seven.

Adger believes one of the seven had gone to court and may have brought the virus back to his pod, and by 1 p.m. Monday, the total was up to 13 inmates with confirmed cases.

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Officials said the seven inmates who had tested positive by Monday morning had all lived together in the same unit but the next six to test positive were not from that unit.

Three came inmates into the jail late last week or over the weekend and their tests came back Monday, and three are trusties, or inmate workers.

Adger said so far, 46 jail employees have had to self-quarantine, leaving jail workers shorthanded.

“I’m not in dire straits yet, but I’m getting there,” Adger told Winne.

He says the jail has roughly 600 employees who live in communities all over metro Atlanta.

Adger says the jail medical contractor, NaphCare, is caring for all 13 inmates diagnosed and he believes the contractor can handle up to 30.

Grady Memorial Hospital said it can only take coronavirus patients, inmates or not, who are sick enough to need hospitalization

Adger said most of the 13 inmates are asymptomatic, but several are likely to qualify for bond soon and he is unsure how they would safely quarantine to protect the communities to which they may disperse.

“If they do, we’re going to work with them as they go out,” Adger said.

“There needs to be bright-line rules on not taking people into custody or letting people out on signature bonds immediately,” said attorney Drew Findling, former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Findling said his firm represents a Fulton inmate who tested positive and got bond on Monday.

“Will he be able to safely quarantine?” Winne asked Findling.

“No way of knowing that right now. I don’t know. This has really all just happened,” Findling said.

“We will get through this. I think we’ve got this well under control,” Adger said.

Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Christopher Brasher said Thursday afternoon that Fulton County stopped bringing inmates to the courthouse and a new process has been installed using video to even stop moving inmates for hearings in the courtrooms at the jail.

He said this is all for the sake of the inmates, but also criminal justice workers and communities across metro Atlanta.

Authorities also confirmed, that two inmates have tested positive for the virus at the Atlanta federal penitentiary.

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