As the omicron variant of COVID-19 spreads like wildfire across Suffolk County, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office reports that zero inmates are currently positive in either of the jails making up the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. The last positive inmate case was on December 8, 2021.
Sheriff Toulon is proud of how hard his staff has worked to keep both the staff and inmates safe during this recent surge in cases. “In my over 30 years of law enforcement experience, I have seen first-hand how quickly infectious diseases can make their way through the correctional system. Since the start of this pandemic, my goal was to implement as many protections as possible to keep our staff and inmates as safe. Our officers are on the front lines of this pandemic and I couldn’t be more pleased with how diligent they are about following safety protocols for everyone’s protection. Despite Suffolk County having a daily positivity rate of almost 14%, our facilities currently have an inmate rate of 0%. We are doing very well under these very stressful and difficult circumstances.”
Sheriff Toulon points to the ongoing and comprehensive preventative measures taken by the Sheriff’s Office over the course of the pandemic. “Early on in the pandemic, we began implementing stringent procedures to create physical distance between incoming inmates and the general jail population.” All inmates are housed in a reception area for 14 days upon entry into the jail and consistently monitored for the signs of illness. They are also given appropriate cleaning supplies. Any inmate who is sent to the hospital or an outside facility is also required to quarantine. All inmates in quarantine must test negative to be moved back to general population.
Suffolk County Correctional Facility inmates are issued two washable face masks. They are laundered and replaced as needed. Inmates are required to wear masks whenever they are out of their cells. To date, we have produced over 42,000 of these cloth masks in house through the inmate sewing program.
Staff members continue to follow strict precautions as well. All have temperatures taken upon entering the building and must wear face coverings, regardless of vaccination status. Lineups are suspended and officers report directly to their posts to avoid assembling a crowd of officers. The officer cafeteria remains open for meals but there is no seating; officers take their meals back to their posts. The officer fitness center is open on a strict schedule with frequent sanitizing periods.
Inmate visiting is currently in operation, though all visits are non-contact booth visits, regardless of vaccination status. Inmates and their visitors must wear masks and the visitation booths are sanitized after each visiting session. The same policy applies for attorney visits as well.
For more information on the COVID19 protocols at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, please visit www.SuffolkSheriff.com and click on “About Us.”