Another Sheriff's Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – An employee with the San Francisco Sheriff's Office has tested positive for COVID-19 -- the 10th employee to test positive -- Sheriff Paul Miyamoto announced Thursday.

The staff member worked at the Hall of Justice, located at 850 Bryant St., Miyamoto confirmed.

Two weeks ago, a sheriff's deputy also assigned to the Hall of Justice tested positive for COVID-19. Sheriff's officials said they do not yet know how the latest employee to test positive became infected.

"We are testing both staff and justice-involved people in our custody to identify and isolate individuals who are infected," Miyamoto said in a statement.

"Given the spread of the virus and the prevalence of asymptomatic positive cases, there are bound to be positive results. We follow up immediately with contact tracing, alerting people who may have been exposed and could potentially expose others. This is how we prevent further spread,"
he said.

Director of Jail Health Services Dr. Lisa Pratt said, "The risk of transmission is mitigated with Sheriff's Office policies that include physical distancing, masking at all times and frequent hand washing."

Back in March, five employees tested positive, then this month five more have tested positive, including two staff members who were away from work for an extended period when they were diagnosed and another one assigned to Laguna Honda Hospital who tested positive just this week.

As the Bay Area, as well as the state, continues to see a surge in cases, Miyamoto noted that a handful of the staff members who tested positive were asymptomatic and he encouraged anyone concerned they might have the virus to get tested at one of several testing sites across the city.

Despite cases among staff members, the city's jails have avoided a COVID-19 outbreak. Sheriff's officials have reported a total of 24 new inmates testing positive, all of whom were asymptomatic and remained isolated from the general jail populations.

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