Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Forsyth County Jail Sees Surge In COVID-19 Cases

The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Detention Center. PAUL GARBER/WFDD FILE

An outbreak of COVID-19 has led to more than 30 cases connected to the Forsyth County jail.

The sheriff's office says 31 inmates tested positive as of Tuesday. Additionally, state trackers say six staff members also had positive tests.

“We remain committed to protecting the residents and our team members in the Detention Center," Forsyth Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr. says in a release. "We will continue to work closely with the Forsyth County Department of Public Health to ensure that everyone remains safe and healthy to the best of our ability.”

So far, no deaths have been connected to the outbreak. The infected inmates have been moved to a quarantine area. 

For places like jails and nursing homes — where many people live together — the state defines an outbreak as two or more positive tests.

The jail is run by the county, but there have also been surges in the state's inmate and staff population. Earlier this month, a superior court judge authorized a third-party expert to scrutinize the response to the pandemic within the state's prison system.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Paul Garber is a Winston-Salem native and an award-winning reporter who began his journalism career with an internship at The High Point Enterprise in 1993. He has previously worked at The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The News and Record of Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Journal, where he was the newspaper's first full-time multimedia reporter. He won the statewide Media and the Law award in 2000 and has also been recognized for his business, investigative and multimedia reporting. Paul earned a BA from Wake Forest University and has a Master's of Liberal Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Master's of Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Lewisville.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate