ASHTABULA, Ohio — The Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office announced Friday that visitation to its jail has been suspended effective Friday due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in the area.
Authorities said the situation will be evaluated weekly.
"This action is being taken to minimize the risk of community spread of the virus to inmates, visitors and staff. The health and safety of our staff, inmates, and visitors is our first priority," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
As of Friday, there have been 9,701 cases of COVID-19 in Ashtabula County since the pandemic began, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health. Nearly 550 people have been hospitalized and more than 200 have died.
As of the 2020 census, Ashtabula County had 97,574 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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