Video of Wayne Co. jail inmates saying they aren’t being tested for COVID-19 goes viral 

DETROIT. - It’s a video recorded in the Wayne County jail. The video shows inmates on FaceTime asking for masks and saying sick inmates are not getting COVID-19 tests. 

However, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says this is simply false. 

“Every single inmate received an N95 mask, and in addition an extra 10 boxes were sent to every jail,” said Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Director of Communication, Pageant Atterberry.

Now, the sheriff’s Office is saying extreme action will be taken in response to the video. 

“We’re going to go into a 72-hour shutdown and have these inmates assessed by out medical staff and if any symptoms are shown, we will go into a 14-day lockdown after that,” Atterberry said. 

That means there will be medical checks for each inmate, and more isolation than normal. 

“They will come out for one hour of free time,” Atterbery said. “They cannot step out of their cell without an N95 mask or they will have to stay in their cells.”

Before the video circulated on social media, the jail started releasing non-violent offenders on Tethers, to get it down to one per cell. 766 have been released so far, and more to follow.

“Those inmates that are non-violent go on a list,” Atterberry said. “That list is revised by the prosecutor’s office, the chief judge and sheriff.”

Part of this lockdown is to find out who made the video. 

The inmates positive with COVID-19 are quarantined, all separately. The protocol for anyone who gets it. 

“We don't want the public to view us as not doing what we need to do for their loved ones who are locked away, because we are,” Atterbery said.