The Island County Jail had a COVID-19 scare late last week, but it turned out to be a false positive.

Jose Briones, the jail chief, explained that the Health Department had requested that a woman incarcerated at the jail be tested for the virus because she had been in close contact with someone who has the illness.

The woman received a nasal swab test and it came back positive. She and four other inmates in the dormitory-style cell had been quarantined in individual cells. On Saturday, they were all tested again.

Briones said the results came back Monday and showed that everyone was negative. The inmates will remain in quarantine, however, for the recommended 14-day period as a precaution.

About 40 inmates have been tested since the pandemic began, Briones said, and nobody ended up having COVID-19.

The jail made a series of major changes to safeguard from the virus. The first steps, Briones explained, were to limit the number of inmates through furloughs and a new policy against jailing defendants when it’s not mandatory and when they don’t pose a danger to the community.

Also, the Island County Prosecutor’s Office had delayed charging suspects in most non-violent crimes.

The jail population was cut from around 60 to as low as 20, though it’s recently increased to 34 inmates.

In addition to social distancing inmates as much as possible, other measures include the screening of defendants at booking, additional cleaning and the use of personal protective equipment.

Outside groups like Alcoholics Anonymous are not allowed in the jail.