Emergency Hearing Set For Monday For Cook County Jail Inmates Amid Coronavirus Crisis
CHICAGO (CBS)-- There will be an emergency hearing to release some inmates from the Cook County Jail after a correctional officer tested positive for COVID-19 this weekend.
This is the first case of the virus in the Illinois jail system. The correctional officer is now in self isolation at home and some employees have been told to self quarantine.
The officer had recently worked in the residential treatment unit at Cermak Hospital attached to the Cook County Jail, officials said.
The emergency hearing for Cook County Jail inmates will take place later Monday morning.
The sheriff's office used video to determine who might have come into close contact with the officer. After consulting with the Chicago Department of Public Health, a small number of staffers were asked to stay home – even though they were not symptomatic.
Out of an abundance of caution, they will self-quarantine for 14 days.
The areas where the officer worked were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, the sheriff's office said.
