July 21, 2020

BCSO COVID-19 Update
Oroville, CA- Within the past two weeks there has been a rapid increase in the number of lab
confirmed COVID-19 cases within the Butte County Jail. This increase coincides with an increase
in the number of confirmed cases throughout Butte County and in many parts of California. The
Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is working cooperatively with the Butte County Public Health
Department and Wellpath, the jail’s medical services provider, to mitigate the spread of COVID19 within the jail and provide appropriate care for those inmates currently infected with the
illness.
To date approximately 500 COVID-19 tests have been administered to both inmates and staff
members. None of the BCSO staff members tested to date were positive for COVID-19. Currently,
among the inmate population, there are 71 lab confirmed COVID-19 cases within the jail. An
additional 18 tests are pending lab results.
The overwhelming majority of cases involve asymptomatic individuals or individuals with mild
symptoms. One individual was admitted to an area hospital for observation over the weekend.
That individual is in stable condition and is likely to be returned to the jail in the coming days.
(When there is a need for an enhanced level of care, inmates are transported to local hospitals,
but kept under observation by jail staff.) The jail’s medical staff is currently able to provide the
necessary medical care within the facility for the rest of the inmates who tested
positive. Inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being isolated from the remainder of
the population. There is currently sufficient capacity within the jail to accommodate these
individuals. Inmates who have tested positive are isolated for ten to fourteen days, in accordance
with best practices as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
Butte County Public Health Department and Wellpath.
The jail staff closely monitors the jail’s population on a daily basis and utilizes statutory and court
ordered authority to maintain sufficient capacity within the jail to manage this regularly changing
situation. Inmate, staff and public safety interests are continually being balanced during this
process. As a general rule, inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19, who have not yet
recovered, will not be released unless it is required by law or is medically necessary. In those
cases, the jail will coordinate the release with Public Health to ensure proper post-incarceration
housing, monitoring and care.

 The jail continues to utilize previously adopted screening and detection protocols in an effort to
mitigate the spread.
Those protocols include:
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Screening of all intakes for symptomatic individuals;
Weekly temperature and symptom checks of all inmates;
Use of Personal Protective Equipment, i.e. masks and gloves, by inmates and staff;
Increased access to hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies for inmates and staff;
Aggressive testing and monitoring in cooperation with the Butte County Public Health
Department to detect asymptomatic individuals.

In addition to the protocols noted above, the jail has suspended public visiting and is actively
working with the Butte County Superior Court, the Butte County Public Defenders and the Butte
County District Attorney’s Office to limit in-person court appearances for inmates during the next
14 days.
Finally, the Sheriff’s Office website has a recently added a COVID-19 information page, which will
be updated Monday-Friday. The page contains information about the status of COVID-19 in the
jail and can be accessed through this link: https://www.buttecounty.net/sheriffcoroner/Covid19
COVID-19 is a serious health issue in our community. The Sheriff’s Office continues to encourage
everyone to do what they can to reduce the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community.

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