The Webster County Jail reported an outbreak of COVID-19 among both inmates and staff Tuesday morning after 15 people tested positive.

The jail identified its first positive COVID-19 case last week, according to Webster County Sheriff Jim Stubbs. Since then, all 68 inmates and staff were tested. Eight inmates and seven staff members were positive for the novel coronavirus.

Stubbs said the first one to test positive was an inmate. All jail inmates being transferred to a prison are tested for COVID-19 first, per Iowa Department of Corrections protocol.

“I think it speaks for itself that this (outbreak) happened this late in the process, due to the fact that we’ve implemented (protocol) to be as safe as we can,” Stubbs said. “What makes a statement there is that it took this long to have a positive case.”

The sheriff said that those who are positive in the jail are being separated from those who are negative for the virus, a particular challenge given that the jail is at full capacity.

“You run out of places to quarantine people easily when you’re full,” he said.

The facility originally built for 29 inmates, now with an increased capacity thanks to bunk beds, held 61 inmates as of Monday. As mass testing was conducted last week, Stubbs said the count was 56.

In March, county officials took a second look at who really needed to be incarcerated, weighing the risk versus benefits of incarceration, particularly for those arrested for non-violent crimes. As the threat of COVID-19 made its debut, jail population records documented a decline in inmates from 50 on March 2 to 38 by April 7. Jail populations for dates throughout 2019 and early 2020 reflected regular populations hovering in the 50s and 60s.

“Due to health and safety issues, we had to make difficult decisions,” Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll previously told The Messenger. “One concern the jail did have was that we were at near-capacity and had no room to do quarantine areas.”

In April, First Assistant County Attorney Ryan Baldridge said that those accused of violent crimes, being repeat offenders or committing serial crimes against property will be a high priority to retain behind bars while they await sentencing. He defined “violent” offenses as “anything where someone has acted against another person at any level.”

Starting last week, Stubbs said that masks became mandatory for those working in the jail. Previous precautions included screening for those brought to the jail and self-screening for symptoms by staff before shifts.

The sheriff said that none of the inmates are experiencing “major issues” or issues that require hospitalization.

An outbreak in jails is as worrisome for jail officials as it is for those living in other congregate settings, such as nursing homes, where the virus can spread like wildfire in close quarters.

The Fort Dodge Correctional Facility saw an inundation of COVID-19 cases during an outbreak in July, as over 360 inmates — roughly one-third of the prison’s population — and 40 staff members tested positive. Three inmates died during the outbreak.

Since the pandemic entered Iowa, over 1,000 of Iowa’s inmates have tested positive. There are currently 7,415 Iowans incarcerated in the Iowa prison system, not including county jails.