Beltrami County jail records first inmate case of COVID-19

A Beltrami County jail inmate tested positive for coronavirus last week, marking the virus' continued spread behind bars at detention centers throughout the state.

The person, who has not been identified by authorities, is being quarantined inside the Bemidji jail. The arresting officer is also self-isolating after what was later deemed a "high-risk exposure" to the inmate, said Sheriff Ernie Beitel.

Law enforcement did not characterize the nature of the person's alleged crime.

Last week, a Hennepin County jail inmate was released shortly after testing positive for the respiratory disease and agreed to quarantine at home.

Meanwhile infections continue to spike inside state prisons, underscoring the danger of the constant movement of people in and out of correctional facilities.

At Moose Lake and Willow River prisons, a combined 24 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 and another 37 are presumed positive based on symptoms. At least 38 state corrections employees — most of whom work at Moose Lake, about 45 minutes southwest of Duluth — have also self-reported falling ill with the virus. One of those officers remains hospitalized in intensive care on a ventilator.