COVID-19 outbreak halts operations at Olympia Jail

Operations have been suspended at the City of Olympia Municipal Jail following reports of COVID-19 infections among staff and inmates.

Olympia interim police chief Rich Allen announced Thursday that guidance from the Thurston County Health Department says operations will have to stay suspended for 10 days.

“The health and welfare of our staff and the inmates we care for are of the utmost concern,” Allen said. “We will continue to work with the Health Department to facilitate a safe return to operations.”

According to the release, two low-risk inmates were released by the city’s municipal court. The remaining four who tested positive were transferred to the Lewis County Jail, where the number of inmates is low.

OPD’s patrol operations aren’t affected, nor are typical police response and Crisis Response Unit calls, according to Allen’s news release.

This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 11:30 AM with the headline "COVID-19 outbreak halts operations at Olympia Jail."

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

360-357-0201

Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription