MADISON, WI (SPECTRUM NEWS) — Jails across Wisconsin are taking extra precautions to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

The Dane County Jail is the only one in the state where inmates have tested positive.

The positive tests came as the jail was rolling out a new method to prevent the spread of virus's and bacteria.

The jail started using two UV light emitters about a week ago in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus within the facility. The emitters use light to break down microorganisms in a given room.

“I'm very excited that this kind of new technology can be brought into the jail system, the correctional system, and particularly the dane county as we try to address COVID-19,” said Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney.

Mahoney had talked to Skytron — the company that makes these UV emitters — about buying them a couple of years down the road for the new Dane County jail facility.

This type of technology is most commonly used in hospitals, but Dane County was interested in using them in a couple of years when its new jail opened up.

Skytron agreed to let Dane County use them on a trial period for three months during coronavirus.

Mahoney said his office wants to buy two of the machines for about $80 thousand at the end of the three month period.

A couple of days after deputies started using the emitters in the jail several inmates developed a fever. They were quarantined and so far two have tested positive for COVID-19 and four have tested negative.

“To be honest, the virus was probably already present, but since this morning we have already utilized the devices in that housing unit and many others,” Mahoney said.

Rooms can take from 15 minutes to two hours for the emitter to work depending on the size of the space.

The Dane county Sheriff's Office has also sent a couple hundred inmates with lower-level crimes home quarantine there in the past few weeks in an effort to cut down on jail numbers during the coronavirus.

“Most of these are misdemeanant crimes, they'll come back for court and eventually may spend more time in jail,” Mahoney said.

The Racine County Sheriff's Office is cutting down on new inmates if they have less serious crimes. Mahoney said the Dane County Sheriff's Office is doing something similar.

All five of the largest county's jails in Wisconsin have stopped in-person public visits during the coronavirus outbreak. Those are Milwaukee, Dane, Waukesha, Brown and Racine Counties. State correctional facilities have taken this precaution as well.

Jail inmates are in the top priority level for coronavirus testing in Wisconsin according to the state Department of Health Services.