Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
A now almost contained recent Covid outbreak at Swain County Detention Center caused problems for not just inmates but put detention officers and their families at an increased risk.
Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran said although the jail performs Covid tests every week as well as when new inmates arrive, the prevention effort has not stopped some breakthrough cases.
“We do tests every Monday. One week they all tested negative. The next week, one inmate tested positive and it spread from there,” Cochran said. “For the past two weeks or so, we have had over 100 inmates a day in jail and recently had an outbreak of 25 inmates testing positive to Covid. We were able to get them care and treat them there.”
Most of the inmates in the Swain County jail are federal inmates who the federal government contracts with Swain County to house overflow inmates.
COVID-19 has affected everyone’s daily lives but being in close contact with individuals with the disease adds extra stress and uncertainty to officers' lives.
“One detention officer has been away from her children for 17 days because she doesn’t want to risk giving anything to them. That takes a toll on a person’s life,” Sheriff Cochran said.
Most of the staff at the jail are fully vaccinated and wear safety equipment when working with inmates, but sometime they still come in contact.
“Four detention staff also tested positive (during the outbreak),” according to Sheriff Cochran.
The outbreak numbers are improving as of Sept. 27.
“As of today, we only have two positive cases in the jail so we are making progress. The detention center has really done well at stopping the spread.” Sheriff Cochran said on Monday.
Exposure isn’t the only concern for the Sheriff’s Department. They are also suffering the effects of staffing shortages, said Sheriff Cochran.
“We have lost six deputies in the past couple of months and that puts a strain on us,” he said.
Most are said to be leaving for higher wages or moving to different opportunities like highway patrol.
Captain Leanna Arch at the Swain County Detention Center said that since the start of the pandemic officers and staff have been performing extra cleaning measures.
“We use disinfectant foggers in the holding pods after we move people out, we have to wipe down all areas that inmates and staff touch and take extra cleaning precautions,” Captain Arch said.
She explained the process in more detail when new inmates arrive.
“We always isolate and test new inmates when they come in. They are quarantined for five days and then retested. If they test negative, they can then be moved in with other prisoners. If they are positive, we have to keep them separated,” Captain Arch said.
Captain Arch said about 85-90% of inmates are vaccinated but some have still contracted Covid.
Officers must wear masks for 8-10 hours at a time, as well as other uncomfortable safety equipment and risk their health and family’s health to keep our community safe.
“I think the added stress of not knowing day to day if you are going to take Covid home to your family has been the most difficult challenge during this time. Also, our daily responsibilities have changed with the more extensive cleaning measures and having to wear a mask all day is rough,” Captain Arch said.