The COVID-19 outbreak at the Montezuma County Detention Center has doubled since last week, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
There were 28 confirmed active cases at the jail as of Wednesday, up from 14 on Oct. 13. Of the cases, 26 are inmates and two are staff members, according to CDPHE outbreak data.
Of the 75 inmates at the jail, 26 are reported to be COVID-positive, or 34%.
Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin said Thursday inmates who have tested positive are recovering and are placed in quarantine. Infected staff were sent home, and must test negative before returning to work.
None of the positive cases have required hospitalization, Nowlin said, and there have been no deaths from the disease at the jail.
Vaccinations are made available to inmates, he said. The jail has been working with the Montezuma Department of Public Health, which is providing testing, vaccines and guidance.
Nowlin said the jail is waiting on results of 25 COVID-19 tests taken from inmates.
Nowlin does not require sheriff or detention staff or inmates to be vaccinated. He said it is a “personal choice” on whether to be vaccinated. All detention and sheriff staff are required to wear masks.
He said some of the positive COVID cases came from people who had been vaccinated. Some with COVID symptoms tested positive for the flu, but negative for COVID.
Nowlin defended his recent controversial order to limit arrests to reduce jail entry because of the spike in cases. He said the outbreak would “have been worse” without it, and could have led to a jail shutdown.
Under Nowlin’s order, suspects of certain crimes are receiving citations and court summonses instead of being arrested and jailed. The 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office has objected to the order, arguing that aspects of it violate state statute requiring arrests.
Currently, CDPHE lists 2,471 COVID cases at county jails in Colorado, ranging from a high of 1,467 in El Paso County to a low of 18 in Boulder County.
By comparison, at Colorado Department of Corrections facilities, which are bound by a recent statewide vaccination policy, 15 active cases were reported Wednesday among the 22 CDOC facilities.
The ACLU has filed a lawsuit alleging that unvaccinated prison staff present a risk of "cruel and unusual punishment" to inmates under their care.
CDPHE on Wednesday reported 166 new cases in Montezuma County since Oct. 14, up from 119 new cases the previous seven days, a 39% increase.
In addition to the jail, five outbreaks of the COVID-19 have been reported in the county, according to CDPHE data as of Oct. 21.
CDPHE defines an “outbreak” of COVID-19 as five or more positive tests at a single location within 14 days.
Montezuma-Cortez High School on Thursday shut down its volleyball program through Tuesday because of multiple cases of COVID-19, according to a news release from the school.
For the junior varsity and C teams, the season has ended.
Eligible varsity players can begin to practice again Oct. 26, the release said.
- On Oct. 1, Cortez Middle School reported that 20 students and two staff members had tested positive.
- On Oct. 1, Kemper Elementary reported 13 students and one staff member had tested positive.
- On Oct. 1, Montezuma-Cortez High School reported nine students and two staff members had tested positive.
- On Oct. 4, the Dolores middle and high schools reported 18 students and four staff members tested positive.
- On Oct. 8, Dolores Elementary reported five students and one staff member tested positive.
Journal Reporter Kala Parkinson contributed to this article.
