Fifteen more Covid cases this week at Dartmouth jail

May 29, 2020

Seven staff members and eight county inmates at the Bristol County House of Correction have tested positive for Covid-19 since May 21, according to a press release from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.

Earlier this month, the Faunce Corner Road facility saw the start of an outbreak as the number of cases more than doubled, with dozens more testing positive in the past couple of weeks.

More than 60 people at the jail have had the virus since the start of the pandemic in early March. Those who have tested positive include 34 staff members and 32 county inmates.

All of the seven staff members to test positive since May 21 are members of the office’s security team, according to the release. They include six corrections officers and one sergeant.

Sixteen staffers have recovered and returned to duty and two more are expected back this weekend, while the rest are expected to make full recoveries and return to duty in the coming weeks.

Of the 32 county inmates to test positive, 28 are still in BCSO custody. Several have recovered and returned to general population. The others are being kept in isolation and are being closely monitored by medical professionals, the office stated. Four county inmates who had tested positive were released as their sentences ended.

Prior to their release, the BCSO provided notification of the positive test to the person picking them up and the state Department of Public Health, which in turn notifies the communities they are returning to. 

Sheriff Thomas Hodgson commented last week, "The Covid pandemic has hit Bristol County, Massachusetts, and our nation pretty hard. In the middle of this epidemic, our essential staff of more than 600 people is doing an amazing job in these challenging times."