Full Notification

April 6, 2020 – The number of Harris County Sheriff’s Office employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 reached 21 on Monday, with most cases affecting those who work in the jail.

As of Monday, the number of inmates housed in the Harris County Jail stood at 7,599. More than 2,200 Sheriff’s Office employees work inside the jail, and 12 of them have now tested positive for COVID-19.

There are currently 187 Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies, detention officers and support staff on quarantine for possible COVID-19 exposure. One of these employees is currently in the hospital. Fifty-nine previously quarantined employees have now been cleared to return to duty. Seventy Sheriff’s Office employees have been tested, but are still awaiting results. Twenty-two employees have received negative test results.

The Sheriff’s Office is working with Harris County Public Health to identify co-workers, inmates, and members of the public who may have had close contact with the diagnosed employees so they can take necessary precautions, including quarantine and testing for those with symptoms.

At this time, three inmates in the Harris County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19. An additional 34 inmates are in quarantine with symptoms indicative of the virus and are awaiting test results. The number of inmates on observational quarantine without symptoms because they were possibly exposed to someone with the virus now stands at 851.