Denver Jail Has Highest Concentration Of Coronavirus Cases In City & County

DENVER (CBS4)- Detention facilities continue to be epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic. The State of Colorado Sterling Correctional Facility is now up to 440 cases with positive tests, by far the greatest concentration in the state.

Two people have died at the prison according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

In downtown Denver, the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center is now up to 128 positive cases, the largest concentration in the city and county.

CBS4'S Rick Sallinger spoke with a family member of one of the male inmates who is said to have tested positive.

"He has had flu-like symptoms, but 10 times worse," she said.

She asked that we not reveal her identity or that of her relative, because she feared possible negative action against him. Her family member asked her to get attention for the plight of the inmates. She claimed her relative became ill after prisoners with the virus had moved into his pod.

"It's not being cleaned in there, they are not provided any protection or anything and they are not being treated or cared for," she said her family member told her.

The city and Denver Sheriff Department takes issue with that. It points out the population has been reduced by about half during the virus period. With that extra room housing pods have been created for all inmates who have tested positive for the virus. There are 25 inmates in isolation with symptoms and are being offered tests. The Denver County Jail has 13 inmates who have tested positive currently in custody.

So why the big numbers at the downtown jail? Murphy Robinson, the executive director of Denver's Department of Safety was asked at a news conference why the number of cases have grown so high at the downtown detention center.

"We have experienced an uptick in the numbers of the inmates testing positive is because we have chosen to test all inmates coming into the jail," he said.

Inmates leaving for the state prison system are also being tested.

Denver Health is in charge of the health for the jails. So far, 93 staff members have tested positive in the department of public safety which includes the Denver Police Department, the Denver Fire Department plus other divisions. Of those, 78 have recovered.

Robinson maintained the inmates and staff are being cared for properly, "We provide masks to every inmate, we provide masks to every deputy."

Inmate visitation from lobby monitors has been halted at the downtown facility, despite the big numbers of those with the virus there, no one has died as of now.