Dozens of Dane Co. Jail inmates test positive for COVID-19 after mass testing

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - As a result of the testing of all Dane County Jail residents for COVID-19, a total of 81 residents tested positive for the virus.

The Wisconsin National Guard was called in on Monday to conduct tests of all inmates as the jail reported an increasing number of COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks.

Four hundred and forty-six jail residents were tested for the virus on Monday and all samples were returned from a laboratory on Wednesday, according to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone who had tested positive in the previous 90 days was exempt from testing. A jail administrator told NBC15 Wednesday that “around 150″ people were known to be positive within the past 90 days, which would make them exempt from testing.

The sheriff’s office notes residents who test positive for COVID-19 will be removed from the general population and housed together with other residents who have tested positive, which is consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Positive residents will remain in quarantine for 10 days.

The jail noted Monday that there were 54 positive cases of the virus among jail residents. A representative from the sheriff’s office said it was unclear if the 81 new cases were in addition to this.

The National Guard had previously tested the jail’s population at the onset of the pandemic.

It was announced Tuesday after court had been let out for the day that Chandler Halderson, a 23-year-old man on trial for being accused of killing his parents and a resident at the Dane County Jail, tested positive for the virus. The trial will be postponed until at least next Tuesday.