Eighth, ninth and tenth Bristol County Sheriff’s Office staff members test positive for COVID-19

DARTMOUTH – Three Bristol County security staff members recently tested positive for COVID-19.

The first is a corrections officer who felt ill and went home sick in the middle of his second shift on Sunday, April 19. He was notified of a positive test on Friday, April 24.

The second is a lieutenant who was last at the facility on Monday, April 20. She began feeling ill during her days off on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 21st and 22nd, and took a COVID-19 test. She was notified of a positive test on Friday the 24th.

The third is a corrections officer who was last at the facility on Tuesday, April 21. He was off Wednesday and Thursday, the 22nd and 23rd, during which time he felt ill. He took a test on Saturday the 25th and received notification of a positive test on Sunday, April 26.

Currently, six Bristol County Sheriff’s Office staff members are away from the facility recovering from COVID-19. Four others have fully recovered and returned to duty.

“Each of our team members who has tested positive for COVID-19 has either recovered or is expected to be fine,” Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said. “We have hundreds of essential works here every day on every shift as our correctional facilities keep running, and our team is doing an amazing job in these extremely challenging times.”

Currently, no one incarcerated in a Bristol County corrections facility has tested positive for the virus, according to a BCSO spokesperson. Fifteen prisoners, some symptomatic and some in close proximity to symptomatic individuals, have tested negative.

The spokesperson stated that over the past month, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has instituted many protocols to protect inmates, detainees and staff from the Coronavirus outbreak. Some of those measures include:

· All employees were given masks that must be worn inside the secure perimeter of our facilities. All inmates and detainees have also been given masks to wear for protection.

· All areas of the facility are being cleaned\disinfected every day on every shift.

· All staff members are being screened before entering the buildings; new arriving inmates are being screened before being accepted into custody.

· In-person visitation has been suspended to limit the number of people coming in and out.