FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The Monmouth County jail is under lockdown this week because of a COVID-19 outbreak that infected 30 people, the third such outbreak at the correctional facility since the pandemic began nearly two years ago.
The New Jersey Department of Health confirmed that 21 inmates and nine corrections officers have been infected. No hospitalizations or deaths have been reported.
The state health department has been investigating the outbreak since they were informed about it on Tuesday, DOH spokeswoman Donna Leusner said in an email. The state also investigated outbreaks that occurred in March to April of 2020 and July to October 2021.
The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail, did not respond to questions about the outbreak. An official with the union that represents maintenance staff at the jail said the county has been limited in providing him information as well.
CWA Local 1075 President Kevin Tauro confirmed the outbreak occurred, but said he has not been able to get details in writing from the county about the situation and what safety precautions are being taken.
Elsewhere in Monmouth: Wall Intermediate goes virtual after 27 cases of COVID-19 reported over 3 days
He said the latest outbreak sparked concerns for him and his members because a family member of one maintenance worked died from COVID-19 after contracting the disease in connection to the prior jail outbreak.
“That’s why we are so hypersensitive that this doesn’t happen again,” Tauro said.
The latest outbreak at Monmouth County Jail started Monday. It’s not clear how many people were affected by the outbreak.
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Susanne Cervenka covers Monmouth County government and property tax issues, winning several state and regional awards for her work. She’s covered local government for 15 years, with stops in Ohio and Florida before arriving in New Jersey in 2013. Contact her at @scervenka; 732-643-4229; [email protected].
Source: Asbury Park
