A small protest was held outside the Maui Community Correctional Center in Wailuku on Friday in search of protections for COVID-19 inmates, where a virus outbreak was first reported four weeks ago.
The Maui Community Correctional Center cluster was updated Friday to include 75 inmates who tested positive (43 are active and 32 have recovered). According to the Department of Public Safety, there are 44 people in medical isolation and 211 people in quarantine in the latest report.
To date, 722 tests have been performed at the MCCC, with 643 negative responses and four inconclusive ones.
State officials say an MCCC employee also reported a positive independent test result.
The department reports that COVID-19 testing is being conducted continuously statewide at all facilities and that the remaining prisoner populations at the facility in Hawaii are virus-free.
Organizers say the protest included the participation of concerned community members and loved ones from inmates demanding “immediate protections to improve the spread of COVID19.”
Among the demands made are: to provide “adequate” medical care; ensure that there is no mixing of COVID-19 positive inmates with suspicious cases; use masking for inmates; provide new masks daily for inmates or two fabric masks per inmate so they can be washed and reused; and keep those exposed to COVID-19 in quarantine in a place separate from confirmed cases. The group is also looking for guarantees of adequate spacing for installation within the bedrooms.
- (You can find a complete list of claims by scrolling down to the bottom of this article).
County officials said the state Department of Health is following the standard protocol with contact tracking and quarantine isolation.
Toni Schwartz, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, responded to Maui Now’s request for comment by saying:
“The Department of Public Safety is aware of the concerns expressed by families and that is why medical and security staff at the Maui Community Correctional Center work long hours to protect staff and inmates and mitigate the spread of the virus.”
She went on to say, “The medical staff at the facility is monitoring the inmates’ symptoms, taking temperatures and doing health checks at least twice a day. All offenders have also been informed if they have pain or symptoms of ‘a disease of the upper respiratory tract to report it immediately to medical staff.If it is out of hours, the facility will call a doctor on duty to consult it.No inmate has required hospitalization due to COVID- 19 “.
Last week, Mayor Michael Victorino had received confirmation from the Hawaiian health director that the Department of Health would deploy a second round of vaccinations to the correctional facility.
State officials say inmates who test positive or negative are in designated housing units within the facility and separated as determined by medical personnel, as recommended by the DOH, and in accordance with the PSD Pandemic Response Plan.
“The facilities follow the PSD pandemic plan to medically isolate, quarantine and cohort inmates based on guidelines recommended by CDC and DOH,” said Schwartz, who outlined the following precautions:
- All offenders were issued at least two cloth masks at the entrance and must be worn.
- Offenders also have the option to purchase masks through the curator if they prefer different brands or styles.
- All inmates and staff must follow all safety and sanitation protocols, including wearing a barrier mask on the nose and mouth in inmate housing and common areas, washing their hands frequently, and keeping their distance. appropriate social policy as far as possible.
- All offenders have unlimited access to hot water supplies, soap and sanitation.
“The PSD health care division has worked hard to ensure that there is a comprehensive plan to safeguard the health of all inmates and staff at our facilities. They developed a comprehensive pandemic response plan for all facilities, based on current CDC guidelines and approved by the Correctional Health Office of the American Correctional Association, ”Schwartz said in a statement.
According to Schwartz, “Each facility has adapted the plan to meet their individual needs. Each facility has situations that deal with that are unique to its facility and the administration of these facilities takes this into account when executing their plans to the best of their ability. “
The following is a complete list of demands, as described to the organizers of the event:
- Immediate medical isolation of confirmed or suspected cases of COVID19 with adequate medical attention; patients hospitalized with COVID + do not receive adequate medical care.
- Quarantine to all those who have been recently admitted and to those who had close contacts with COVID19. Immediately cease mixing COVID + inmates with suspicious cases and the general population NOW.
- Staff must wear masks at all times and enforce the wearing of masks by inmates.
- Staff should be tested regularly and have a medical check-up before moving on.
- New masks every day for inmates or two fabric / intern masks so they can be washed / reused. Suitable PPE (N95 gloves and masks) for laundry workers following a proper mask cleaning protocol.
- MCCC must comply with CDC guidelines that include: “Confirmed cases must be housed in a well-ventilated room with solid walls and a solid door that closes completely and separately from suspicious cases”; and persons exposed to COVID-19 should be quarantined separately from confirmed cases
- MCC must meet the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission’s cohort requirements, including: Bunk beds must be a minimum distance of 6 feet, double bunk beds have only one occupant; and consideration of medical isolation and quarantine of cases most at risk for serious COVID-19-related illnesses (i.e., the elderly, schizophrenics, etc.)
- Responsibility: Victorio must allocate funds to bring the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission to MCCC to ensure they begin to follow state and CDC protocol.
- Transparency: Rapid sharing of accurate data on MCCC covid infections.