Johnson County Jail on lockdown after 8 inmates test positive for COVID-19

FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — The Johnson County Jail was on lockdown Sunday after eight inmates tested positive for COVID-19, as the jail prepares to offer Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine to all staff and inmates.

The jail’s inmates were tested Saturday for the virus, Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess said in a Sunday statement.

Burgess said the lockdown was for the safety and security of the jail and that he had been in contact with the Johnson County Health Department and was following the protocols in place.

The jail will be administering Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine on Monday and Tuesday, and Burgess said the jail’s supply of the vaccine is sufficient for every staff member and inmate. He said they had worked diligently to get vaccine doses for the jail.