COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the Allegheny County Jail. 

A statement released Friday said there were 91 positive cases among incarcerated individuals in the jail, and 29 positive cases or exposures among staff. 

Twelve pods are on isolation status, nearly half of the jail’s 28 units. 

The jail will move to modified lockdown following consultation from medical professionals at the Allegheny Health Network and the county health department. 

During the lockdown, general population units are allowed 15 incarcerated individuals and two incarcerated individual workers out for recreation at a time.

Physical distancing and mask wearing are required, the jail said. 

“The jail had been on a good trajectory until recently with much of our operation restored to normal, but the recent increase in COVID infections resulted in our reaching out to our health partners to determine how best to limit the spread,” Warden Orlando Harper said in a statement.

“Based on that advice, we believe these mitigation efforts are necessary to maintain the health, safety and security of our incarcerated population and our staff members. Once the number of infections decreases, we can re-evaluate and adjust our operations again accordingly.”

First Published: May 20, 2022, 11:29 p.m.