St. Louis County Jail Keeps COVID Numbers Low

Across the state of Minnesota, multiple prisons have reported outbreaks of COVID among their inmates but currently, it looks as though the St. Louis County jail and its 196 inmates have lucked out.

DULUTH, Minn. – Across the state of Minnesota, multiple prisons have reported outbreaks of COVID among their inmates but currently, it looks as though the St. Louis County jail and its 196 inmates have lucked out.

From the start of the pandemic till now, only one inmate has tested positive for COVID-19 at the St. Louis County jail, along with 5 to 6 staff members.

Many things have changed inside the jail in terms of operations to help slow the spread as everyone wears masks while staff, contractors, vendors, and other professionals are also screened through a temperature check before entering the site.

Inmates also limit their exposure to the outside world as most of their court hearings are now held virtually.

With the various programs within the jail, inmates also attend them with their specific units and they don’t socialize with other units.

“There’s a lot of things up here that are restricted and we get very little pushback even from the inmates,” said Captain Jessica Pete. “They understand how serious the issue can be. They don’t want to get it in here either.”

Pete says it’s been challenging to keep people six feet apart, as housing units can hold up to 60 people at one time. The inmates are also spending more time in their cells due to spacing.

However, the success of keeping rates down shows how both staff and inmates are serious about controlling the spread of the virus.

“Diligence,” said Pete. “The staff are really good inside here of making sure that mask-wearing, making sure they’re following procedures. They understand the importance of it.”

In addition, because longer times in cells can have a negative impact on mental health, the jail is incorporating more meetings of inmates with mental health practitioners.