According to a spokesperson for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, masks are now mandatory for inmates and employees in JSO's three facilities.
JSO said the mandate is not related to the city's mask mandate. JSO said the decision for employees at the facilities was made June 19, but said there wasn't a reason why it became mandatory that day. Officers patrolling streets are not required to wear masks, but are encouraged to wear them when they can't social distance or when they could be exposed to COVID-19.
Masks became mandatory for inmates June 22, the day the Department of Health started testing inmates. The DOH provided each inmate with two masks each and provided employees with masks as well.
JSO said 178 inmates have now tested positive after a contracted medical provider exposed both inmates and employees. JSO said now all of the nearly 3,000 inmates at the three facilities have been tested for COVID-19 by the DOH.
First Coast News asked if all of the inmates' tests have come back. The spokesperson for JSO said he "is not sure where they stand on results at this time." He said the DOH tells JSO how many tests were performed, how many tested positive and how many inmates refused the test, but not how many test results have come back.
Thirty-two employees have COVID-19 currently and 182 are self-quarantining, according to JSO.