The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced on their Facebook page this morning that the Polk County Jail has seen its first COVID-19 cases make their way into the facility.

Jail Administrator Rachel Haddix reported that 25 inmates are currently in quarantine in the H-Pod, which can hold up to 32 people at a time. Maj. Haddix added that no inmates will be coming in and out until August 26, per jail medical staff recommendations.

The announcement comes after the PCSO kept the virus out of the jail for more than a year since the beginning of the pandemic here in Polk County in March 2020.

“As a result of this quarantine, inmates may have limited access to our messaging platform and the phones. We understand the concern and stress that individuals may have for their loved ones, but our medical staff is working diligently to care for those impacted by this virus,” the PCSO reported on Facebook.

Additionally, no names of inmates that have either been exposed or become ill with COVID-19 are being released at this time.

The Polk County Jail had already moved to a policy of limiting the number of inmates being held at the facility by only allowing those with certain levels of charges to be held with or without bond, while those who have committed non-violent offenses or aren’t an immediate danger to the public are being released after being booked into the jail.

The PCSO asks those with questions to contact jail medical staff at 770-749-2905.

COVID-19’s spread in Polk County has grown to 249 new cases in the past two weeks, per the Georgia Department of Public Health’s latest numbers. That puts the county at 4,300+ PCR Molecular test results to have come back positive for the virus in local residents, 1,900+ positive antigen results to bring the overall total since last March to above 6,200 people who have contracted the virus locally.