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Inmates at Big Horn County jail test positive for COVID-19

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Posted at 9:10 PM, Jul 31, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-01 11:09:54-04

Big Horn County officials confirmed Friday that inmates at the county jail have contracted COVID-19, though they didn't say how many.

The positive cases were discovered during recent routine testing, and no inmates are showing symptoms, according to a news release from public information officer Rhonda Johnson.

In addition, Big Horn reported 21 COVID-19 cases Friday, which includes 10 cases added from the state's morning report.

Johnson said the jail had run monthly sentinel surveillance testing from May through July, when the state requested a slowdown in asymptomatic testing because of a backlog at laboratories.

The detention facility has been following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for incarcerated individuals, including requiring masks when outside cells, periodic temperature checks, and frequent cleaning and sanitizing of the facility, according to Johnson.

Big Horn County has 196 active cases of COVID-19 and 110 recoveries. Nine people have died. The county has a cumulative total of 310 cases.