How DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry jails are avoiding an outbreak

While a legal battle rages involving the nearly 600 Cook County inmates, officers and staffers infected with the COVID-19 virus, jails in DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties all report zero or nearly zero infections.

Sheriffs are thwarting an outbreak - for now - with strict screening and cleaning protocols, they say. All four suburban departments have also worked with local police to issue citations rather than make arrests, and they have released as many inmates charged or convicted of nonviolent crimes as possible.

The Lake County jail has no infections, but it reported Friday that an inmate released Monday tested positive for COVID-19 two days later. The inmate had complained of flu-like symptoms last week, but they had abated and his temperature was normal when he was released after a plea agreement.

Otherwise, the jail has seen no cases. It has released or shifted more than 50 inmates to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Bond court is conducted electronically to reduce possible exposures to the virus.

If and when inmates show signs of infection, they are placed in isolation cells with reverse airflow technology to limit the spread of the illness, authorities said, and the staff is cleaning and sanitizing areas more frequently.

"This is a health crisis that is changing every hour, and we are adapting, planning and executing contingency plans," said Sgt. Chris Covelli, the sheriff's public information officer. "We will continue to use every tool within our legal authority to keep the sheriff's staff and inmates safe."

In Kane County, Sheriff Ron Hain began working to reduce costs by lowering the jail's population as soon as he took office last year. Hain also pursued reinstatement of an electronic home monitoring program the county board had dumped because of budget constraints.

So, when the pandemic hit, the moves allowed the staff to screen and quarantine inmates to prevent fights, as well as to identify and isolate possible infections.

"We poured the kitchen sink of reforms into the jail in 2019," Hain said. "Because we all work so closely together, we knew who we could put where and what people we could get out of the facility."

The county also implemented a two-week rotating shift of employees at the jail to further reduce the possibility of staff members bringing the virus into the jail.

In DuPage, prevention measures begin before anyone gets near the jail. The use of citations instead of arrests has helped reduce the number of new inmates by 80%, the department says.

At the start of the outbreak, the jail, which has a maximum capacity of 1,000, had a population of 530 inmates. It was down to below 400 by early April.

Anyone coming into the jail, including contractors and employees, is screened with a thermometer. The air ventilation system was changed to take in 100% fresh air and exhaust directly to the outside. All employees wear face masks for their entire shift.

Sheriff James Mendrick suspended visiting hours and replaced them with extra phone privileges.

Even the community has stepped up. White Glove Sanitation Chemicals and Solutions in Wood Dale, for instance, donated a 55-gallon drum of cleaning solution for use wiping down all squad cars involved with arrests.

"While we realize it is unlikely we will forever be able to hold the pandemic at bay, we are very proud of our efforts to date," Mendrick said.

Similarly, at the McHenry County jail, cleaning efforts have increased, and all new inmates are screened and isolated regardless of whether they are showing symptoms, Sgt. Aimee Knop said.

Those with a fever or other signs of infection are given a mask and gloves, placed in a single cell and quarantined while their condition is monitored. New inmates without symptoms are put into a "step" housing unit away from others.

As for Cook County, Sheriff Tom Dart told The Associated Press last week that he already had implemented most measures included in a federal judge's order designed to address the county jail's massive rate of COVID-19 infections. Dart said he has worked with officials to reduce the jail's population of more than 4,000 inmates by 20%, but he does not have the authority to free inmates on his own.

Dart has said he has implemented anti-COVID-19 measures, including screening the temperature of everyone who enters the jail and forbidding visitors. The federal judge acknowledged that social distancing measures are limited by the large number of inmates in the jail but insisted inmates still are due constitutional protections.

Three Cook County inmates have died from the virus.

• Daily Herald staff writer Lauren Rohr contributed to this report.