17 cases at Taos County jail

COVID cases are on the rise at the Taos County Adult Detention Center as 17 new cases were reported as of Tuesday (Nov. 30), 14 cases among detainees and three among jail staff.

According to Public Information Officer Anissa Arrambide, the first recent case in the jail was detected on Nov. 18 “and has been ongoing as of then.”

All inmates and staff have been reviewed according to CDC guidelines “to determine which detainees will need to be housed in different areas in order to ensure effective medical isolation and quarantine, necessary medical evaluation, care, and medical transfer if deemed necessary,” said an initial press release regarding the outbreak.

Because of the rise, the jail is continuing to have all detainees evaluated for COVID-19 symptoms upon intake. 

“Detainees who are booked into the facility are quarantined for 10-14 days and require two negative COVID tests before being moved to general population,” said Arrambide. Detainees who leave the facility are also quarantined, and outside visitation is currently not permitted. “Professional visits are arranged through video or telephonic means,” she said.

The jail is continuing to issue cleaning products and masks to detainees, Arrambide added. Officers are also required to wear masks at all times, and testing is being conducted every 48 hours.

“If an inmate shows symptoms, they will be placed in a quarantine cell until test results are received,” she said. Six-foot distancing protocols have also been put in place in the 87-bed facility, which housed 52 inmates as of Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Arrambide said a total of 14 detainees and three correctional officers had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Twenty detainees, including the 14 who tested positive, are set to be transferred to the New Mexico Department of Corrections.

“Detainees are sent to Colfax County Detention Facility,” explained Arrambide, who said those who get transported are either positive, or do not have imminent court dates.

The three correctional officers have been quarantined and are awaiting negative test results to return to work.

Arrambide said that both detainees and detention center workers have had access to vaccines and testing. “We have had three vaccine clinics,” she said. “Vaccines are available to both the staff and detainee population. We are working with the New Mexico Department of Health, who have come into the facility to provide the vaccines and testing supplies.”

She said they also have access to enough testing supplies and are providing “both rapid and PCR testing” to detainees and staff.