Social visitation to resume at Rio Cosumnes jail, Sacramento sheriff’s officials say

Following a moratorium on social visits at a jail near Elk Grove due to a spike in coronavirus cases, Sacramento County law enforcement officials are allowing visitation once again.

In a news release, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said social visits will be allowed at Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center starting Monday, when “visitors are welcomed back to the facility to visit with their friends and loved ones.”

The Sheriff’s Office in late December put the moratorium in place as coronavirus around the Sacramento region surged, and inmate infections spiked at the jail. At the time, nearly 60 infections were reported among the inmate population of about 1,700 within a month. The moratorium was meant to stop that spike from spreading further. By early January, the virus had spread and the number of infected inmates swelled to 159.

As of Feb. 24, the latest data available from the Sheriff’s Office, there were 102 COVID-19 positive inmates in custody at the Rio Cosumnes facility. At the Main Jail in downtown Sacramento, there were 48.

The Sheriff’s Office said mitigation procedures will remain in place once visitation is open again. Visit booths will be sprayed down and disinfected after every use, and booths will be social distanced as well. Masks are required for both the visitors and inmates.