KINGMAN – A potential outbreak has been avoided after two COVID-19 positive inmates potentially exposed 78 others to the coronavirus at the Mohave County Adult Detention Center in Kingman. Captain Don Bischoff and staff immediately removed the coronavirus positive inmates last month and placed the others in cohort congregate quarantine in two housing units of the jail.
“We dodged a bullet and are now moving forward,” Bischoff said Thursday, a week after normal operations resumed at the Detention Center.
Bischoff said the two-week quarantine was lifted when there was no spread among inmates within the housing units of concern.
“During that 14-day period, none became ill. None developed symptoms and they were tested twice during that two-week period, all of which have returned negative for the coronavirus,” Bischoff said. He said staff hoped for the best but planned for the worst when the exposure threat was detected.
“The potential was that we could have very easily had a dozen or more inmates who became positive,” Bischoff said. “We created space in case we started getting inmates who were becoming ill or symptomatic. Obviously, it wouldn’t have taken very many to overwhelm the ability of our medical unit.”
Bischoff said they prepared two juvenile detention units to place COVID-19 positive inmates, if needed. “Luckily that did not happen,” he said.
To date, nine county inmates and two staff members have tested positive during the five-month-long pandemic. Both employees and seven of the inmates have recovered while two inmates receive care and are monitored while isolated.
- Dave Hawkins
