Lexington detention center worker contracts coronavirus, LCSD says.
A worker in Lexington County Detention Center’s health care clinic tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
The person is a contract administrative worker who “never interacts with inmates and has very limited contact with correctional officers or detention center staff,” according to Sheriff Jay Koon.
The sheriff’s department operates the jail.
The worker tested positive Thursday after developing symptoms last week, the department said in a statement. The last time she worked in the jail was April 30. The area where she worked was thoroughly cleaned, Koon said.
Since March, workers at the jail have had their temperature taken at the start of every shift.
This is the first person associated with the detention center to contract the coronavirus, Koon said.
A patrol deputy tested positive for COVID-19 in April. The deputy recovered and returned to duty, the sheriff’s department said.
County detention centers are operated by county governments and are not part of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Some detention centers are run by county sheriff’s offices while others are operated as separate county entities.