Officials at the Starke County Justice Center are suspending jail classes, and visitation and admittance of the public for non-emergency purposes until further notice.
Sheriff Bill Dulin said precautions are being taken to prevent illness from entering the facility. The administration is doing what is necessary to protect the staff and inmates at the facility.
In addition to the suspension of visitors to the Justice Center, attorneys who have clients inside the jail must make an appointment prior to arrival. All court proceedings will be done by video conference until further notice, unless Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall specifies that hearings may continue in the courtroom.
Any individual being booked into the jail will be monitored by the jail staff and the jail nurse, and screened before placed into the general population.
Staff members will not be allowed to work if they are ill.
Dulin stated in a press release that Starke County Justice Center officials are following State and Federal guidelines to prevent the coronavirus and are constantly reviewing health information. He said it will create an inconvenience, but he wants to provide the safest environment possible at the facility.
