MADISON COUNTY – An inmate arrested in Madison tested positive for COVID and is being housed and treated in the Madison County Jail’s medical ward under the care of Southern Health Partners, the Jail’s contracted health provider.

According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, the 34-year-old male inmate was booked into the jail on November 27 after being arrested by Madison Police for Theft of Property, Failure to Appear warrants and Probation Violation. He was taken straight to the medical ward for treatment of an unrelated skin condition.

“He was cleared to leave the medical ward on December 1 and was transferred to the Jail’s COVID Quarantine Unit where he was to be housed until after his fourteenth day of symptom-free incarceration,” a statement from the sheriff’s department said. “All inmates booked into the jail undergo a medical screening process and are housed in a quarantine area of the Jail for fourteen days for monitoring to ensure they do not develop any COVID or flu like symptoms. On December 7, the inmate began running a fever and was immediately transferred back to the medical ward, as is protocol, and was given a COVID test.”

On Thursday morning the test results came back positive for COVID.

Movement to and from the Quarantine Unit where the inmate had been housed was stopped, and jail staff are utilizing a secondary Quarantine Unit for new arrivals, the Sheriff’s Office stated. The pre-established COVID Mitigation Protocols are still in effect.

The Sheriff’s Office also said contact tracing was performed and all inmates housed in the Quarantine Unit are being tested by Southern Health Partners. The inmate’s symptoms are not severe, but he is being monitored on a 24-hour basis.

“As Sheriff I take the health and safety of our inmate’s seriously,” Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner said. “We have established protocols and procedures to help minimize the risk of COVID and flu in the jail, but we also understand the possibility still exist for an inmate to have COVID. We will continue to evaluate our procedures and work closely with Southern Health Partners in an effort to keep a healthy jail environment.”