Newly populated Northern Jail Branch continues visitation restriction due to COVID-19

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - It’s just three weeks since the opening of the new North Branch Jail.

"It’s been great we open the facility with approximately 250 inmates … we’re
at around 240 inmates now … and things are going well staff and inmates are
getting adjusted and figuring out the daily routine and things seem to be
going very well up here," said custody commander Ryan Sullivan of the North Branch Jail.

Shortly after the facility’s housing of its  inmates, several tested
positive for COVID-19.

"We tested every single inmate that was moved up here every single day as
well as our staff every day," said Sullivan.

This was to make sure if anyone was tested positive, the cases would be
caught quickly.

"We were able to remove an isolate them from the rest of the population so
we could slow or stop the spread of COVID-19," said Sullivan.

Right now, there is no visitation.

But administrators are hoping this will change in the next several weeks.

"Until COVID-19 gets under wraps. But when it does start it’s going to be video
visitation," said Lt. Bill Wolf of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.

This means loved ones can come, and not have to go inside the
secured part of the building.

"This would be just like Skype or Zoom or video type thing," said Wolf.

The Sheriff's Office said once the facility implements video visitation,
there will be one major advantage.

"If this happens again with COVID-19 or if there is any type of communicable
disease … with video visitation we wouldn’t have to cancel the visitation," said Wolf.

Visitations are currently restricted for both north and south county jails.