Inmate at Lake County's Hill Road Correctional Facility tests positive for coronavirus

An inmate at the Hill Road Correctional Facility in Lakeport has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The inmate, who Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich declined to identify, has not displayed any symptoms and was isolated in an individual cell Monday to try to avoid spreading the virus throughout the jail.

The inmate was tested as part of a 100-test survey the Lake County Sheriff’s Office conducted on randomly selected inmates and staff over an 8-day period in mid-April, Paulich said.

The inmate was tested on April 19, but test results only came back Monday. Paulich said part of the reason for the delay was because all participants who were tested were asymptomatic, so their results weren’t prioritized. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office also bought the tests through a lab in Texas, which further delayed results.

“In the future, we’re going to be working through probably (Lake County) Public Health and the lab in Sonoma County, so the turnaround time will be a lot shorter - like probably a 24-hour turnaround,” Paulich said.

Of the 100 people tested, this inmate is the only one to have tested positive, Paulich said. Ninety people have tested negative, among them 70 inmates and 20 staff members. The Sheriff’s Office is awaiting results for four inmates and five staff members. As of Monday afternoon, there were 172 inmates in the jail, Paulich said.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified all inmates and staff who may have come into close contact with the infected inmate, and has placed 16 inmates in isolation, Paulich said.

The Sheriff’s Office has implemented enhanced measures aimed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the jail, including suspending visitation, screening all staff before entering the facility, placing inmates who are in custody for minor offenses on home detention and regular cleaning.

Jail staff wear face masks, and Paulich said that while inmates don’t have masks right now, the Sheriff’s Office is “looking at” securing them in the coming days.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com.