Local News
Ward County Jail with increased number of COVID-19 positive inmates
By 
Local Reporter
MINOT, ND–Even the Ward County Jail is not an exception from the spike in COVID-19 cases.
Over the last month, 23 positive cases have occurred between the 150 inmates.
Following the CDC guidelines, if an inmate is feeling ill, they will get tested. If the test comes back positive, the inmate is put in a cell alone to isolate.
As the number of cases rise, space at the detention center is becoming very limited.
“It’s a housing issue to try and keep them separate for that seven days, even though we have a bigger facility now, it’s kind of hard. We are at the point where we only have a few more beds available to take in new people,” said Major Paul Olthoff with the Ward County Sheriff’s Department.
Every inmate is screened when entering the facility and isolated before going with the other inmates.
