Inmates and Coronavirus
The coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed more than 3,300 people and infected more than 95,000.
More than 230 deaths have been reported outside of mainland China, including 11 in the US.
There is no vaccine for the virus, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s primary recommendations include avoiding close contact with people who are sick, avoiding touching your eyes and nose, and staying home when feeling ill.
While these prevention measures might be easily executed by the general public, that may not the case for people who are incarcerated in dormitory-style housing.
Of the 2.3 million incarcerated Americans, the US Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) holds a total of 175,135 inmates across the country. The remaining population can be found in county jails and state prisons.
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I was incarcerated during a very serious influenza outbreak in the facility ( Introduced by staff members) while the unaffected staff were given vaccines the inmates received lock down as treatment and moved to the infirmary once a high fever kicked in usually the sick person and then their cellmate since we were in two man cells. My point is inmates will probably be very low on the totem pole when it comes to treatment or prevention of any serious disease.
Not to sound Morbid but this virus kinda runs like the T.V.show “The walking dead.” It be totally insane if the producers knew they had predicted outcome of the world we know of.
I was incarcerated in a Michigan prison. One year there was a norovirus outbreak in the prison. 10 units with about 80 men in each. I stayed away from everyone and washed my hands constantly. But the dorm style buildings were impossible. If someone coughed the fans spread the virus everywhere. They tried moving every sick inmate into a single unit, my unit by the way. Inmates don’t like being moved, so many of them hid their illness. Luckily no one died, but I also got sick from it and was miserable for days. No doubt employees took the virus home as well. A very horrible feeling waiting to become the next victim and knowing that there is no way to escape it.
I got really sick when I was in. A bunch of us got Hep A from eating bad contaminated food served to us. None of us were getting any medical treatment and I nearly died. My parents had to hire a lawyer to get the warden to do anything.
I stayed in 6 different locations and I can tell you, health care is NOT a priority for the incarcerated population.
The good news:
People who have hepatitis A infection become immune to HAV for the rest of their lives once they recover. They cannot get hepatitis A twice
BOP tends to be pretty aggressive about quarantine.
“… avoiding close contact with people who are sick, avoiding touching your eyes and nose, and staying home when feeling ill.” is easier for the general public as the general public can retrieve to their homes and order out (thank you internet and delivery services) anything they need.
Incarcerated individuals can not do that. Not only can they not buy whatever they want, they may not even have access to do that.
I’m guessing the US will just quarantine them as they have with cruise ships and let nature take it’s course (stating national safety of course).