A south Alabama jail has started releasing some non-violent offenders because of a rise in COVID-19 cases at the facility.

WKRG-TV reports that Mobile County Metro Jail began Tuesday allowing some non-violent offenders to be released, similar to what is done when a hurricane threatens the facility or there is a desperate need for space in the jail. Inmates facing only city, non-violent charges are allowed to sign their own bond or be released on recognizance. There are a number of exceptions, including that the charges can’t be related to driving under the influence or domestic violence.

“This past week and increasingly over the weekend we had an outburst of COVID infections in the jail and it was spreading really rapidly and so to really reduce the population as quickly as we could and also limit the number of people coming in and out of the jail,” Sheriff Sam Cochran said of the decision.