Citing coronavirus, Lexington ends inmate visits and volunteer programs at jail
To prevent the spread of novel coronavirus, the Fayette County Detention Center is suspending visits with inmates as well as volunteer-run programs inside the jail, effective immediately, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said in a statement Tuesday.
“We are erring on the side of caution in response to the COVID-19 virus,” Gorton said.
Visits will be reinstated as soon as possible, the mayor added.
The 1,266-bed jail on Old Frankfort Pike will continue to be sanitized as a precaution against the coronavirus, she said.
Also Tuesday, the Bullitt County Detention Center went on lockdown, allowing no inmates, staff or visitors to enter or leave, after six inmates showed a fever. Jailer Paul Watkins said his concern was the flu, not the coronavirus, and the lockdown would end if tests on the six inmates showed no sign of the illness.
Incoming inmates are being temporarily sent to Hardin County’s jail for now, Watkins said.
“It’s not a knee-jerk reaction. We’re just exercising precaution. We don’t want to give the public the flu,” Watkins said.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 3:34 PM.
