BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — There are 74 inmates housed in the Wood County Justice Center right now, which may seem like a lot but it's nothing compared to the nearly 170 people there in March.
Coronavirus concerns continue to bring the numbers down. Throughout this pandemic, judges have been strict about jail numbers, allowing non-violent offenders to report to court to keep the number of people locked up down.
"The judges reviewed who was in jail and summoned municipal court judges to release some inmates based on what their risk factors were, so that has helped," Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said.
Before this pandemic, Wasylyshyn said Wood County was housing inmates from as far as the Cleveland area, which has now stopped. He explained the lower numbers make social distancing easier.
"So, we have about 100 fewer inmates than we had back then, and that really is huge for us because we can spread the inmates out," Wasylyshyn said.
So far, there have been no COVID-19 cases among inmates or Wood County deputies, but the jail has not done formal testing. When there is a suspected case in the jail, the inmate is isolated.
Additionally, any new inmates brought in are put in a separate facility for 14 days as a precaution. Other precautions are also taken for anyone who comes into the department.
Wasylyshyn said he is planning on keeping certain procedures, like taking everyone's temperature who enters any of the sheriff's office facilities, even after the pandemic as a way to keep staff safe and protected.
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