A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging the conditions inmates are subjected to at the Clayton County Jail during the COVID-19 pandemic has granted class status to the plaintiffs.

The order entered by Judge J.P. Boulee of Georgia’s Northern District Court certified a principal class of anyone currently in jail or who will be detained there in the future, as well as a “Medical Vulnerable” subclass of inmates whose age or medical condition heighten their risk of death or serious illness due to the virus.