Two employees and a former inmate at the Volusia County Branch Jail have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first coronavirus cases at the county-operated facility.
The jail was notified of the positive cases on Tuesday, prompting the facility to go back into lockdown mode to help prevent spread of the virus.
Volusia County’s corrections staff was notified about COVID-19 showing up at the jail in a message from Corrections Director Mark Flowers that emphasized the need for proper hygiene and the wearing of masks – which is mandatory any time employees are around inmates or in a group of two or more employees.
To promote social distancing by preventing the congregating of inmates, the jail was placed on lockdown back in April.
Prior to Tuesday’s news, the jail had gone 103 days since the county’s declaration of emergency on March 13 without a positive case and the facility’s lockdown had been
eased.