COVID-19: Nearly 40% of Inmates Test Positive at the Taylor County Jail

ABILENE, TX – The Taylor County Jail continues to be plagued by the spread of coronavirus as the Texas Commission on Jail Standards reports an additional 105 cases this week.

According to KTXS, an additional 101 inmates and 4 jailers have tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Currently, a total of 273 inmates and 34 correctional officers are infected. These numbers account for nearly 40-percent of the population at the Taylor County Jail. Between July 8 - July 13, the jail confirmed 168 cases.

According to Sheriff Ricky Bishop, the case numbers have risen “because a lot of people coming in do not social distance and they do not use PPE.”

According to Bishop, the jail is being cleaned several times a day, the staff is required to wear masks, and inmates are required to wear masks when leaving their cells.

Even as the case number increase, inmates who test positive are not currently isolated from the general population.

"We don't have the facilities to segregate and the only way that I could have the space to do that is if TDCJ starts taking prisoners from us," said Bishop.

Earlier this year the TDCJ halted the intake of inmates due to the pandemic. The intake resumed on a limited basis back in June.