WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The post-Thanksgiving spike in coronavirus cases is also reaching into some Triad jails but not all.
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office reports no positive tests among inmates since August but the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said there are 68 positive tests among its inmates.
Randolph, Stokes, Caswell and Surry counties have outbreaks in their detention centers as well.
Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough and other detention center officials addressed the cases Monday.
"The spike that we're seeing and seeing nationally, we were warned about," Detention Bureau Commander Maj. Rich Carleton said, "We knew it was gonna happen but we didn't know the numbers. (It happened) after the Thanksgiving weekend when people got with their families."
Carleton said detention center staff knew of only four cases before Thanksgiving. 568 inmates were tested Thursday and Friday and 68 of those tests came back positive.
"That's 12%. The national average of detention centers in prison is 20%. We're actually running below that," Kimbrough said.
Cases among detention center staff remain low. Forsyth County Detention Center Operations Commander Captain Charlene Warren said there were zero positive tests for staff on Thursday and Friday.
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office said there are seven of their detention staff out due to coronavirus. Four have tested positive, the rest are waiting for results.
Both detention centers report taking similar steps to prevent the spread of the virus. Those steps include quarantining new inmates for 14 days and providing masks to inmates.
Inmates and detention center staff across the state will be part of the ongoing first phase of coronavirus vaccine distribution.
The Forsyth County Detention Center could get their first round of vaccinations next week.
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office said it is still waiting to find out when the first round will happen at its detention center.
Sheriff Kimbrough also talked about another fast approaching date, one that could leave many people homeless.
Evictions can begin again at the first of the year.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office is carrying out some evictions not stopped by the CARES Act and reaffirmed Monday that the evictions process is determined by the courts.
"The sheriff's office has no authority to supersede a judge. I don’t have that authority. Once the order has been signed, we have no choice but to execute it," Kimbrough said.
The courts determine whether an eviction should take place before sending that paperwork to law enforcement.
Forsyth County Assistant Attorney Lonnie Albright said there is a recent step by the North Carolina Supreme Court that makes changes to how those orders arrive at the sheriff's office.
"Last Monday, the chief justice entered another order regarding, in pertinent part, evictions and that process," Albright said, "The burden is not so much on the tenant now as it is on the landlord because last Monday the 14, Judge Beasley’s order made reference to a form that every landlord has to complete."
He said it goes back to an affidavit that landlords must fill out before starting the eviction process. It signifies that the landlord let tenants know about their rights under the CDC's Eviction Moratorium.
Albright said that affidavit must be attached to the landlord's complaint before an eviction can be approved by a judge.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said without that form they will not serve any evictions.
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office is also serving a small number of evictions. A spokesperson said 26 will be served this week. All of those cases are current and not leftover from the summer.
Kimbrough said he does feel sympathy for people who are evicted and that he is against evictions during the pandemic. Ultimately, he said his deputies still must serve any eviction notices they receive.
"I have to follow the law. I have to do what is legal. My opinion does not matter when it comes to the law,"
Albright said it's possible the evictions moratorium could be extended again but it's impossible to know for sure.