Dane County jail inmates; COVID testing for nearly 600
FILE - A health worker tests passengers for the COVID-19.
MADISON, Wis. - The National Guard has been summoned to help test nearly 600 inmates at the Dane County Jail for COVID-19 on Monday, Jan. 10.
Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said there are record high coronavirus cases at the jail where nearly 90 inmates of the 594 incarcerated have tested positive.
Barrett said the jail population usually decreased in the wintertime, but not this year when an abnormally high number of inmates is putting further stress on the facility.
"We’re out of space right now," Barrett said. "Our criminal justice system is starting to pick back up after it was technically shut down for a while."
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Barrett added that the blitz of PCR testing will "allow us to know where we’re at." The National Guard had previously tested the jail’s population at the onset of the pandemic, the State Journal reported.
"Having the numbers will help put a plan in place to ensure safety of our facility," Barrett said.
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