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At least one inmate at the Troup County Jail, and possibly more, has a confirmed case of COVID-19, according to a press release from the Troup County Sheriff’s Office.

The jail is isolating the inmate or inmates infected, as well as those in direct contact them. The inmates will remain isolated until they can return to the jail population following Center for Disease Control guidelines, according to the press release.

“The safety and wellbeing of our staff and the inmate population is our number one priority and after conferring with a number of healthcare professionals, which include District 4 health services, we believe we are taking the appropriate steps to help mitigate further spread,” Sheriff James Woodruff said.

Sgt. Stewart Smith said they weren’t able to give a specific number of inmates with COVID-19, but not all of the inmates with positive cases are symptomatic. Tests are pending on additional inmates.

For the last several weeks, new inmate intakes have been screened by the jail and medical staff, including a series of questions and temperature checks. If someone is not able to pass the checks, they are sent to the hospital for additional screening.

If an inmate says they are not feeling well or if they are showing standard COVID-19 symptoms, they are checked and screened by medical staff, according to the press release.

Employees are also screened when they report for duty and face masks are mandatory while on duty. Inmate housing and the administrative sections of the sheriff’s office are also undergoing routine sanitizing.