The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office has several measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the county jail.
According to Capt. Kyle Harvey, spokesman for the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, no inmates at the jail have COVID-19.
The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department was listed with a total of 16 cases on the Unified Government’s COVID-19 outbreak map.
Capt. Harvey said he is aware of about four cases currently among department employees; some of the others could be past cases. Staff members who test positive are quarantined, he said.
There are protocols in place at the jail, Capt. Harvey said. Arrestees go through a medical screening before they come in the door, he said. There is more in-depth screening when they start to get booked, he added.
Then the new inmates are quarantined for two weeks, and if they show any symptoms, they are tested for COVID-19, he said.
All tests have been negative for inmates, he added.
Employees undergo a temperature screening and are asked health questions when they start their shifts, he said. It has made the process longer for changing shifts, he added.
“We’ve been very fortunate to keep it out of the jail; it only takes one person to bring it in to spread it, and with our protocol, we’re being very strict,” he said.
The jail currently allows visitors, who are asked questions and their temperatures are checked, he said. There are noncontact visits only at this time, with a glass separating visitors from inmates. Attorney visits used to be in person, but now are just video visits, he said.
They also have a lot more video court hearings, although some hearings still have to be done in person, he said. They restarted physical transports from the jail to court about a month ago, but it’s still very limited, he added.
The UG Health Department director, Juliann Van Liew, on Thursday said at a news conference that the Health Department will try to get COVID-19 saliva tests for use in schools and the jail. It will be a change from the COVID-19 test kits that they have there now, Capt. Harvey said.
The UG COVID-19 webpage reported an additional 41 cases on Saturday, for a cumulative total of 6,780. There were no additional deaths, for a total of 134, according to the webpage.
Free testing continues Monday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Sept. 28, at Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up tests are through the Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.
Free tests also are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.
The pop-up tests and the Health Department tests now are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule.
The Health Department has released its testing schedule for October, and it is online at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
More information about testing is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, or call 311.
The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/345495976875884.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The Unified Government COVID-19 hub outbreak map at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.
To see an NEA list of schools that have had COVID-19 cases, visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=aa3f2ede7cb2415db943fdaf45866d2f.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Unified Government Health Department is collecting input on people’s experiences getting tested for COVID-19 in Wyandotte County. The survey is on the UG website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/ea97a450-3d74-4d86-8d1f-6e340d55cf7c.
The UG Health Department school and sports guidance is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/09042020fallsportsrecommendations.pdf.
A previous UG sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.
The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.