Santa Barbara County Sheriff announces end to COVID outbreak at main jail

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office announced that, after nearly two months, the COVID-19 outbreak at the main jail has come to an end.

As of Monday, the jail reported zero active cases of COVID-19 associated with the outbreak which was discovered in August and began being monitored on the 20th.

Last week, the jail reported that the outbreak had dwindled down to only five cases.

Over the course of the outbreak, 90 inmates tested positive for the virus. 89 of those inmates have recovered and one was released from the jail.

The sheriff's office said it will continue working closely with the county's public health department and their Wellpath partners to safely care for the health of both inmates and staff.

Per protocol, all staff who enter the main jail are tested daily and all inmates are screened and tested upon intake.