POUGHKEEPSIE – The Dutchess County Jail, a division of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office is experiencing an increase in COVID infections among inmates and officers. As a result, the facility has been closed to the public since January 1.
Jail Administrator Therese Lee told Mid-Hudson News that as of January 6, the jail was populated by 176 male and 21 female inmates. Of those, 76 inmates have tested positive for COVID. A total of 149 inmates are either quarantined or in medical isolation.
Acting Sheriff Kirk Imperati said the suspension of visitation is a precautionary measure that will be revised at the end of the month. “The safety and security of our staff and innate population is our first priority. We want to keep everyone and their families healthy and safe as we see a spike in COVID cases.”
Jail staff has also been affected by the spread of the virus. The jail currently employs 165 full-time corrections officers and 20 part-time officers. As of January 6, 39 officers/supervisors are COVID positive and are not working. Administrator Lee said the infection rate among the staff is not placing a substantial burden on staffing. “The facility is adjusting on a day-to-day basis. Currently, we have modified our schedules to compensate for the lack of manpower due to a large number of uniformed staff members out on quarantine and/or isolation.”
“The administration is very grateful for the contributions of our correction officers, supervisors, maintenance staff, kitchen workers, and medical staff during these unprecedented times. Everyone is going above and beyond to work together to get through this new wave of the Omicron outbreak and their efforts are truly appreciated,” Lee said.
Information on Dutchess County Jail policies can be found HERE. Dutchess County has a COVID Dashboard that provides data on the infection rate and other information. The dashboard can be found HERE.
