Fulton County Jail inmate tests positive for coronavirus

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Fulton County Jail inmate is being treated at the hospital after he tested positive for coronavirus.

The inmate, who is in his 30’s, had been undergoing treatment for a chronic illness that may have made him more susceptible to the virus, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

[SPECIAL SECTION: Latest on coronavirus in Georgia and around the world]

Jail officials are now working to retrack his movements and find people who may have come into contact with the patient. His roommate is currently in isolation.

Other inmates in the area have not shown signs of the virus and are on lockdown at this time for their safety, the sheriff’s office said.

The floor where the ill inmate was housed has been sanitized. The sheriff’s office said the jail always follows a strict cleaning regimen and that was enhanced after the outbreak of COVID-19.

Thirty people have been released from the Fulton County Jail system since Friday. The sheriff’s office said they were inmates with release dates whose files “were evaluated by jail staff to determine whether the defendants were eligible to get out of jail early.”

The sheriff’s office said it was a measure to help jail limit overcrowding during the pandemic.

How do jails decide to release certain inmates during coronavirus outbreak? How do jails decide to release certain inmates during coronavirus outbreak?

© 2020 Cox Media Group