Employee At Mercer County Jail Tests Positive For Coronavirus

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — An employee at the Mercer County Correction Center has tested positive for COVID-19, county officials announced. The positive test was returned on March 26, and the employee has not been at work since March 20, according to officials.

No other employees or inmates have tested positive, and anyone with access to the facility is being strictly monitored for signs and symptoms of the virus.

Contact tracing has been completed and impacted colleagues of the employee are being contacted to arrange for mandatory testing and self-quarantine.

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As of Monday, 17 inmates have been approved for release by the courts, and had been physically discharged as of March 26. There are currently 280 inmates incarcerated at the jail, which has the capacity to hold about 850 inmates.

All those who have been released are non-violent offenders, Mercer County Spokeswoman Julie Wilmot said. There are four appeals from inmates still under consideration, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.

"The state's Criminal Justice Reform Act has resulted in a reduction in the number of people who are jailed while awaiting trial or sentencing," Wilmot said.

The jail continues to follow the guidance provided by the Mercer County Health Officer as it relates to the safety of employees and inmates during the outbreak of new coronavirus.

Several sections of the jail are now closed, Wilmot said. If there is an outbreak at the jail, she said anyone who becomes ill can now be quarantined in order to prevent further spread.

Staff have also been issued personal protective equipment where needed, and gloves and cleaning supplies are abundantly available, officials said. All detainees are routinely screened for illness when they arrive at the jail.

"As is anticipated with community spread, there is an expectation that COVID-19 will soon impact not only county facilities and departments, but the entire region," officials said. "The Mercer County Correction Center has procedures in place to quarantine any number of individuals in the event of further spread."

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know