Peoria, Ill — COVID-19 is compounding already critical staffing shortages at the Peoria County jail.
In an email, Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell says staffing levels at the Peoria County jail are currently, “beyond critical.”
He says for the remainder of 2021, “we are below 50% staffing”.
And Asbell says it will remain a major problem for the Sheriff’s Office and the jail for the foreseeable future
Meanwhile, COVID infections continue spreading at the facility and now we’re told the virus affects more than 60 inmates and staff.
We got that update from Asbell on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Sheriff reported 41 inmates and 11 staffers infected with COVID-19.
In the span of just over 24 hours, those numbers jumped on Wednesday to 47 inmates and 15 staffers confirmed to be infected.
Another 5 jail staffers are out sick and awaiting COVID test results.
Asbell says the infected inmates are on various stages of quarantine status for now.
