The Smith County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards have made the decision to temporarily suspend jail visitation.

According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, this order will be in effect immediately and will be in place for the next 30 days due to the recent uptick in COVID cases. If the situation has not improved after 30 days, the sheriff’s office said an extension may be necessary to help reduce COVID exposure.

“The past several days have seen a sharp increase in inmate COVID cases and that rate is expected to rise,” the news release stated. “The Smith County Jail has also seen a sharp increase in COVID cases within its jail personnel. This decision was made in an effort to safeguard the inmate population, jail personnel, and the citizens of Smith County.”

As of Monday, 18 Smith County jail inmates had an active diagnosis of COVID-19, according to the Northeast Public Health District.

Video and telephone calls will still be available by inmates, at cost, using equipment provided by the Smith County Jail.

For more information visit www.smithcounty sheriff.com. The Sheriff’s Office also has a FB page and can be followed on Twitter at @SmithCSO.