A man infected with coronavirus was sent to jail in Spokane after refusing to self-isolate, numerous sources reported.
The man was brought to the downtown jail by ambulance Wednesday after Spokane Regional Health District Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz determined the man was a threat to the community, KHQ reported.
Medics take a patient in severe respiratory distress to an ambulance from a group home next to Maimonides Medical Center on May 11, 2020 in the Borough Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Lutz’s order is in effect until July 11, and said the man disobeyed it when he “refused to cooperate with voluntary isolation instructions.”
A statement by Spoke County said that Lutz and Spokane County Board of Commissioners and jail director Mike Sparber tried to find different housing options for the man, and offered to place corrections officers as guards at the hospital or send him to a more appropriate isolation facility, but were not successful. (RELATED: ‘Summer Of Anarchy’: Washington State GOP Chair Slams Seattle Mayor For ‘Lack Of Leadership’)
It was decided the man would be housed under the medical care of the downtown jail, but that a more appropriate facility to house him would continue to be sought, a county spokesman said according to KREM.
Lutz had previously issued a similar order in May when a man infected with coronavirus was arrested for two DUIs in five days and refused to self-isolate.
The man turned himself in and was released to his home where he agreed to quarantine.
Spokane County had a total of 1,485 coronavirus cases and 70 deaths as of July 2, and is under a statewide mandate requiring all Washingtonians to wear face coverings in public places, according to Spokane Regional Health District.