ROCKFORD (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- COVID-19 has hit another Illinois jail.
The Illinois Department of Corrections said an inmate at the Winnebago County Jail has tested positive for COVID-19.
The man, in his 40s, has been in custody since March 30, according to the sheriff’s department, and is being held on domestic battery charges and for a parole violation from the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Officials said he was being held in a single cell at the time he became symptomatic.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, all inmates are screened for COVID-19 upon arrival at the jail.
The County Sheriff Gary Caruana told the Rockford Register Star staff had implemented safety procedures to protect inmates and officers, even before the positive test and they are now working to limit the spread as much as possible.
“Even before the virus was detected in Winnebago County, our corrections staff implemented procedures to keep inmates and officers in the facility safe from the illness,” said Sheriff Gary Caruana. “The health and safety of all the citizens in our community is of the utmost importance, and we will do whatever we can to limit the spread of the illness within the jail population, especially to those who are most vulnerable to adverse outcomes.”