An outbreak of eight positive coronavirus cases of detainees in the Durham County Detention Center will lead to a new wave of testing.

According to a release from Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead on Sunday night, the facility began its testing protocol of inmates after becoming aware of a suspected case. The sheriff said the detention center worked with the Durham County Health Department and followed the guidelines of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services during its assessment.

“Our worst fear has come true inside the facility and we are taking immediate and corrective steps to get in front of it,” wrote Birkhead in the announcement. “I will do everything I can to continue supporting our detention officers, healthcare providers and those housed within the detention facility who have been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March.”

The sheriff’s office said the local health department has begun its contact tracing procedures and anyone who may have been exposed will be contacted shortly. Sunday’s announcement also said the office is working with the Durham County Trial Court Administrator/COVID-19 Coordinator and court personnel to determine whether scheduled court proceedings will be impacted this upcoming week.

Durham County Detention Center staff have experienced their own positive cases in the last few months, with a group of six testing positive in April and two contracting the coronavirus in July.

Photo via the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.

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