36% of Duval County inmates in precautionary quarantine, JSO says

Duval County jail (WJXT)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As of early Friday, 96 inmates within Duval County’s three correctional facilities were positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesperson for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Of the 3,591 inmates, there were 1,316 in a precautionary quarantine as of 8 a.m. That’s just over 36% of the inmate population.

Recommended Videos



Inmates are tested upon entry to any of the three facilities, the spokesperson said. Additional testing comes at the request of the inmate or a medical professional.

The total number of positive cases is slightly lower than the 103 that were reported in Duval County correctional facilities a month ago.

It’s also much lower than the 449 positive cases that were reported in July of last year.

Florida reported 23,933 new COVID-19 cases and 29 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, according to data posted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data, posted Friday, showed that Florida was responsible for nearly 17% of the newly reported cases nationwide and about 4% of deaths reported for the day. A seven-day “moving” average showed Florida averaging 21,375 COVID-19 cases and 40 deaths.

The total reported on Thursday came after Florida reported 24,869 cases on Wednesday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.


About the Authors:

Renee Beninate is a Florida native and award-winning reporter who joined the News4Jax team in June 2021.