Residents in Louisville, Kentucky who refuse to stay home after being exposed to coronavirus are being fitted with GPS tracking bracelets and threatened with criminal charges.
The Louisville Courier Journal reports judges are placing people under house arrest and ordering them to wear tracking devices after health officials learned a number of patients had refused to self-isolate for the period advised.
In one case, three residents of a single household were placed under house arrest for a week after one of the inhabitants tested positive to COVID-19. After refusing to comply with the order, the city placed ankle monitors on them to track their whereabouts.
Under state law, the health department has the power to issue an “order of isolation,” which is then presented to a judge for approval.
According to CNN, the state will also be releasing at least 186 prisoners convicted of not-so-serious crimes on commuted sentences. The prisoner release is intended to prevent a prison outbreak of the virus.
