Another California Sheriff (Riverside County) declares he won't enforce local public health orders

Last edited Tue Jun 2, 2020, 05:23 PM - Edit history (1)

from Truthout

California Sheriff Chad Bianco recently made a splash in the conservative media after he told Riverside County officials that his department would not enforce local public health orders meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A viral video of his statement earned Bianco an interview on Fox News on May 8, where he said it was time for businesses to reopen despite a statewide stay-at-home order.

Bianco did not mention that the five jails he oversees in Riverside County have suffered one of the largest jail outbreaks of COVID-19 in California. A federal judge declared last month that his department “failed to take adequate precautions” to protect incarcerated people and ordered the department to clean up its act.

As of Thursday, there were 209 confirmed cases in the Riverside County jail system, up from 203 on Wednesday, according to the local public health department. The Riverside Sheriff’s Department said on Wednesday that 3,015 people are incarcerated within the system. At least two incarcerated people and two sheriff’s deputies have died from complications related to COVID-19, according to reports. The department said in an email that it has not released updates on how many jail employees contracted the virus since April 17, when Bianco said 71 employees had tested positive.