Cook County Jail in Chicago, U.S., has reportedly turned out to be one of the country's largest COVID-19 hotspots. Reports state that a total of 179 Cook County Jail inmates were being treated for the coronavirus.?
Amid the rapid spread of coronavirus inside the jail, inmates were apparently growing frustrated and angry by the day. More recently, a detainee attacked three jail guards, one of whom was struck with bars of soap stuffed in a sock.
According to Chicago Sun Times, said?detainee went after three jail guards, seriously injuring one, and stealing keys from another to let out other inmates in the maximum security block of Cook County Jail.
A?detainee returning from getting a cup of water in the Division IX block grabbed a correctional officer by the neck from behind and dragged him into his open-cell, the sheriff¡¯s office said in a statement.?
The officer fought his way out of the cell, but the detainee mounted the officer on the catwalk and choked him unconscious, the sheriff¡¯s office said. The detainee also allegedly used bars of soap in a sock wrapped around his wrist to attack the officer.
The report states that a?sergeant with a stun gun arrived and ordered the three detainees back into their cells. The correctional officer punched in the face remains hospitalised, while the other two were treated and released.
The Cook County jail staffers have faced backlash during the COVID-19 pandemic for not doing enough to protect detainees from the disease.
An NPR report states that the rate of infection in Cook County Jail is higher than most anywhere else in the country. More than 500 people have tested positive so far and the detainees make up nearly two-thirds of the cases. Three have reportedly died from apparent complications.
As reported by?Block Club Chicago,?corrections officers have been mandated to work double and triple shifts to fill-in for sick coworkers.?
Anthony McGee, the union¡¯s vice president told?Block Club Chicago, "When you¡¯re working 16-hour shifts, it makes it impossible to ensure that same level of sanitation that would normally be the standard as if they were working eight hours. It causes things to get overlooked,¡± he said. ¡°One false move can help spread this virus throughout the compound.¡±