Coronavirus Outbreak At Murrieta Jail: Dozens Sickened, 1 Dead

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Twenty-five employees of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department — most of them corrections officers — and 11 inmates have tested posted for coronavirus, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said during a press briefing Thursday evening.

Twenty-two of the employee infections are at Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, two are from Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, and one is at Riverside University Health System - Medical Center in Moreno Valley. Several of the employees are hospitalized; one is in critical condition, Bianco said.

Earlier Thursday, Bianco announced the death of Deputy Terrell Young due to COVID-19 complications. Young worked at Cois Byrd and came into contact with an inmate who tested positive for the disease. The deputy was evidently exposed to COVID- 19 during the week of March 15-21 while transporting the infected inmate to Riverside University Health System - Medical Center for an examination.

The deputy fell ill March 22 after showing up to work. The following day, 10 other employees called in sick and additional inmates also reported feeling ill, according to Bianco.

Some of the employees and inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 showed no signs of illness, the sheriff warned, saying the disease does not discriminate. He characterized department employees as ranging in age from early 20s to late 50s, male and female. Some of the infected have no underlying health conditions, he said.

"We want to be very clear about the danger and seriousness of this virus," Bianco said during the briefing at the County Administrative Center in downtown Riverside. "This virus is being spread by inmates and employees who are not displaying any type of symptoms. It's very, very difficult to identify. We don't know they're sick until they come down with symptoms."

In addition to the 25 positive cases among department personnel, there are other sick Cois Byrd employees awaiting test results, according to Bianco.

Routine screening has been underway at the jail, Bianco said. The fast disease spread is believed to be isolated at the Murrieta facility, according to the sheriff, who tried to reassure the public.

"We believe we have this contained at the moment," he said, but acknowledged the "drastic and viral" spread of the disease. "It's not pretty," he continued.

All of the infected inmates are currently receiving medical treatment, according to Bianco. More than 100 Cois Byrd inmates have been been tested for COVID-19; results on 51 of them are still pending, according to the sheriff. Dozens are in quarantine.

There will be no early release of inmates due to the disease, according to Bianco, who said none of those incarcerated in Riverside County jails are "low-level" offenders. "We don't keep them," he said.

The sheriff's department is seeing an outpouring of support for Young, his wife and four children, but Bianco said it's difficult because there will be no gatherings to honor the deputy — a tradition in law enforcement.

The sheriff described the 15-year-veteran as a "fantastic role model" to his kids and a man fellow deputies could "count on for good advice. He was compassionate in dealing with the public and inmates. He was known for his smile and will be deeply missed."

Bianco called on the public to pay tribute to Young in this way: "If you want to honor his death, stay home ... quit committing crimes."

Riverside County health officials Thursday confirmed 64 more cases of coronavirus, bringing the countywide case total to 493. In addition to Young's passing Thursday, a man in his 80s from Eastvale also died due to COVID-19 complications, bring the county's death toll to 14.

The deputy's death has not yet been included in the Riverside University Public Health statistics, which still show the county's deaths at 14, according to spokesman Jose Arballo.

Although there were spikes in deaths and new cases Thursday, there was also an increase of 10 people who have recovered from COVID-19 illness, bringing the total number to 50 recoveries since the first case was reported March 8 in Riverside County.

"We do expect that number [of recoveries] to continue rising," Arballo said. "There are some people that will get through it."

More than 5,000 Riverside County residents have been tested for the virus as of numbers available Thursday, Arballo said.

The local mortality rate remains slightly over 1 percent, according to officials.

UPDATE: Second Deputy Dies From Coronavirus In Riverside County

RELATED: Coronavirus Claims Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy

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