Trending

Coronavirus: New inmates at Alabama jail banned from showers during quarantine

By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Coronavirus: New inmates at Alabama jail banned from showers during quarantin New inmates at a county jail in Jackson County, Alabama, are immediately placed under quarantine after they arrive. (Ichigo121212/Pixabay)

By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way government officials go about their work, and that extends to correctional facilities.

>> Coronavirus checklist: 100-plus disinfectants that may kill coronavirus on surfaces

In northeast Alabama, new inmates at the Jackson County jail are immediately placed under a 14-day quarantine. That means no showers in the general area of the Scottsboro center, WHNT reported.

Although some may think this rule stinks, prisoners are allowed to clean up -- just in private, and not in the general population area.

>> Coronavirus symptoms: What you need to know

According to Chief Corrections Deputy Hal Nash, the close quarters at the jail make social distancing impossible. During the inmates’ quarantine period, they are put in a separate cell and have their temperatures checked several times a day.

“We’re going to err on the side of caution for the safety and health of inmates and the folks that work there and their families,” Nash told WHNT.

>> Coronavirus: Know the facts directly from the CDC

Nash added the inmates are given personal hygiene items. Employees are required to wear masks and gloves and also have their temperatures monitored.

“During the quarantine period, the inmates are allowed and are issued twice a day, towels, washcloths, soap packs and shampoo packs," Nash told WHNT. “There’s water there. They can take a bath, they’re just not allowed to go to the shower area.”

>> Coronavirus: Can the government make you stay home if you are sick?

Nash said he is worried an incoming prisoner could be infected with the disease and come in contact with other inmates. So far, Jackson County Jail has had no COVID-19 cases,

“I feel safer going into the back of Jackson County Jail in the general population than I do going into some of the retail outlets that I see as I drive by and many people are not following social distancing guidelines or the masks that we’ve been asked to do,” Nash told WHNT.

Most Read