All inmates and corrections personnel in the Saline County Jail are being tested for COVID-19 after an asymptomatic female inmate tested positive for the virus.
On Monday, Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan reported that a female inmate awaiting transport to the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) had tested positive for COVID-19. The inmate was asymptomatic and had been housed in general population since early June, Soldan said.
KDOC requires the sheriff's office to test female prisoners before they will accept them in prison, he explained.
This morning, Soldan said that all inmates and all corrections officers would be tested for COVID-19. He said that those test results should be back within three days. The results of those tests will determine whether all other sheriff's office personnel will be tested, Soldan said.
Because the female inmate tested positive, Soldan on Monday closed the jail lobby and suspended fingerprinting and outside activities involving traffic into the jail.
The sheriff's office is working with the Saline County Health Department and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment concerning the potential exposure, Soldan said.