Concerns of jails becoming petri dishes in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak are increasing, but local county officials said they are doing all they can to calm the fears of both inmates and corrections officers.

Sharon S. Laverdure, chairman of the Monroe County Commissioners, said social distancing directives are in place for inmates at the county’s correctional facility, public visitation has been suspended, soap and anti-bacterial sanitizers are readily available, and staff have been encouraged to stay home if feeling sick.

“It’s a difficult time and we understand it’s not easy,” Laverdure said. “We’re trying to keep staff morale up and thank them for their work. We appreciate their efforts. We’re all in this together.”

One of the most concerning factors, Monroe County Warden Garry Haidle said, is the unknown of how long the fears brought on by the virus will last.

“Our staff has been very professional,” Haidle said. “They’re doing the job they have to do and it’s stressful for sure. But we have a very good group here.”

Aside from prison staff, entrance to the prison from outsiders is down to attorneys and members of the Pennsylvania Prison Society. Family members have not been allowed to visit inmates in person since the middle of March.

“We started a program where inmates are able to have a free video visit every week and a lot of them have taken advantage of that,” Haidle said. “They also have extended phone time at night so things like that have definitely helped the morale.”

Visitors are also prohibited from entering the Carbon County Correctional Facility due to the virus.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said anyone who does have to enter the facility, such as staff, have their temperature taken.

“We’ve had a few corrections officers who were concerned they may have come into contact with someone who was high risk for the virus and they have been tested of course,” Nothstein said. “We’ve taken a lot of precautions. I don’t know what more we could be doing at this point.”

Carbon has also moved its bail processing outside. Bail payments are processed at three different times during the day at a trailer near the prison’s entrance.

Despite the precautions, some officers feel more could be done.

Vincent Cardenas, a corrections officer in Monroe County, wrote a letter to the state Department of Corrections last month, outlining concerns over what he called “a lack of precautionary measures” in place at the jail.

“While most facilities in our state have led the way in fighting this pandemic, our facility has chosen to play the waiting game, apparently content to take only those steps deemed absolutely necessary until we have a confirmed COVID-19 case,” Cardenas said in the letter.

“The precautions that are now in place have been implemented only within the last 10 days and only then after concerns were raised by the officer’s union and the officers themselves.”

Cardenas is concerned about the screening. “At this time, neighboring jails in the northeast Pa. area are screening everyone coming and going in and out of their facilities while we are only screening those detainees coming into our intake area. Outside contractors, maintenance, treatment and security staff are coming and going unscreened through the front door.

He also said sanitary measures have been implemented to some areas of the facility “but still need to be expanded to include staff common areas, most notably, our dining area and locker rooms.”

Like many places, Haidle said, cleaning efforts at the prison were taken to an even higher level early on as COVID-19 concerns became prevalent.

“Our maintenance crews are cleaning all day,” he said. “I think they’re doing a great job. When it comes to our staff, if you don’t feel good or you have a fever and symptoms, we tell them to let us know and not come to work.”

Attendance among staff at the prison remains high, Haidle said.

“I credit them,” he added. “They’re worried are they going to get to go home or are they going to have to work a double shift because someone’s sick. It’s stressful and they have stayed very professional.”

Carbon hasn’t received any complaints in writing from staff regarding recent protocol, though Nothstein said there are always grumblings that come up.

“There is always the thought that you can do more,” he said, “and we’re always looking at that, but I think we have tried to do what is best for everyone.”

Officials across the country also have to deal with discussions on whether to release low-risk inmates to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading within prisons. More than 600 inmates have been released from the Allegheny County Jail in western Pennsylvania since March 16.

“We haven’t had any mass releases, but our population is down,” Haidle said.

Nothstein said Carbon’s prison population is also below normal.

With no definitive timetable until the virus curve flattens and normalcy returns, prison officials said they would continue to work with others in government to instill a sense of calm.

“Everyone from the commissioners to the district attorney, the judges and the sheriff have been very supportive of all the measures put in place and have just been reassuring throughout,” Haidle said. “The only way to get through this is to band together.”