MidHudson News reports that the Dutchess County Jail has been closed to the public since Jan. 1 because of an increase in COVID infections among inmates and corrections officers. Jail Administrator Therese Lee said that as of January 6, the jail had 176 male and 21 female inmates, with 76 of those inmates testing positive for COVID-19. And 149 inmates are either quarantined or in medical isolation. Currently 39 of 165 full-time corrections officers and 20 part-time officers are out sick with coronavirus. “The safety and security of our staff and inmate population is our first priority. We want to keep everyone and their families healthy and safe as we see a spike in COVID cases,” Acting Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati said. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.