Coronavirus in Chicago: Cook County Jail reports third detainee with coronavirus

So far, 28 detainees have been tested for COVID-19, the sheriff’s office said.

By Carly Behm

Sheriff Tom Dart announced March 24, 2020, a third Cook County Jail detainee tested positive for COVID-19 after showing flu-like symptoms.

A third inmate at Cook County Jail has tested positive for coronavirus.

A total of 28 detainees were tested after showing flu-like symptoms as of Tuesday evening, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Two positive results were announced Monday, and the third case, a 47-year-old man who has been held since October 2018 on burglary charges, was announced Tuesday.

One detainee tested negative, and the remaining 24 are awaiting results.

So far, two Department of Corrections staff have also tested positive for COVID-19.

On Monday, religious leaders prayed for the release of non-violent inmates outside the jail as Cook County Judge LeRoy K. Martin approved a motion to have thousands of cases reviewed.

The jail’s population dipped Tuesday, the first day of those hearings.

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