Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset’s COVID-19 outbreak has risen from the first announced 24 inmates to 36, from two staff to five, and remains at one contracted worker, Jail Administrator Col. James Bailey told Wiscasset Newspaper Monday afternoon.

No one has been hospitalized, and the jail has had no trouble getting inmates care for their symptoms, “not at all,” Bailey said in the phone interview; two inmates finished their 14-day isolations over the weekend and 22 others would finish Tuesday, May 11. In another development, Bailey said he had vaccine coming Tuesday for inmates and staff.

Vaccination will be voluntary for all, he said.

Staff were offered vaccinations a couple months ago, Bailey said. “Some staff chose to get (them), some did not. The inmates had not been offered vaccinations yet. We were still planning and coordinating that.”

Bailey announced April 29, Maine Center for Disease Control on April 27 confirmed TBRJ had an outbreak, meaning three or more positive results. Monday, Bailey said he has stayed in regular contact with the agency and on Friday met over Zoom with the CDC and the Department of Corrections. 

As of Monday, TBRJ had 54 inmates, Bailey said. The jail will not accept new inmates “probably for a little while longer,” to avoid spread and to have enough housing to isolate the affected inmates, Bailey explained. The jail acted quickly, beginning isolations as soon it identified cases, he said.

Until the jail has gone 14 days without a new positive test, the outbreak status holds, Bailey said. “As of last week, we did have a few more positives.” This is the jail’s first outbreak in the pandemic. Jan. 4, Bailey announced confirmed positive tests for an inmate and a staff member.

The lack of prior outbreaks “speaks for the precautions we were already taking,” Bailey said Monday. “We have good policies in place, we have since the beginning ... But as you know, COVID is a virus, and it’s out there, so there’s always a potential.”