WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS CAME TO VISIT US IN PRISON
After we have been under the stay in place guidelines for 88 days, we were looking forward to phasing up and today was to be the beginning of this new world for us. Phasing up meant more recreation time on the track, more commissary, more freedom and we were all starting to breathe a sigh of relief and started to believe that the normalcy we used to know was inching its way back to us. On the very day the change was supposed to take place it all came to a screeching halt.
Relaxing restrictions also mean the BOP would be firing back up the human trafficking and moving inmates around the country but with covid-19 wreaking havoc across the country it was required to test those about to move. Several campers were going to be headed to RDAP (residential drug treatment program) at another prison and were tested positive for Covid and one of the tests came back positive. This is my journal/recap of the nightmare in this prison camp when the Covid came to visit.
Monday 6/29/20 Day 88
Today was to be the big day of changes and we were looking forward to more freedom and more outside time. I went to work and around 10 am there was a total recall, meaning we all had to go back to the housing units. As I was walking back, I could feel this was going to be bad. As much as I wanted to drag my feet and not go in, I knew I better let my family know something was happening and prepare to not have communication as that seems to be the standard procedure when the bureau of prisons don’t know what to do. Luckily, I hurried and did so because all communication was shut down without warning within minutes of my phone call… Let the mass chaos begin.
A gal that was headed to another prison was tested for coronavirus and it has come back positive. She was moved to her own private quarantine but only after being in close contact with the entire housing unit. She had been out on a medical trip recently and as med trips go, they bring the inmate back and put them straight into the population. We all knew it was not if, but when was it going to happen, and we all suspected a med trip would be the trojan horse to bring the Covid to our little town.
As it stands this evening, the entire compound will be locked down to the housing units for a minimum of 14 days and anyone that was supposed to go home during this time, will not be leaving. This is the only information we were left with; no one came to see us and explain anything, we were on our own and I felt extremely helpless.
Normally I am saved by work when things like this have happened in the past, but I knew this was different. I knew this meant that all the inmates that take care of all the food, commissary, and laundry logistics will not be allowed out and it will be left to the officers to completely take care of us. They will have to learn all our jobs on the fly and figure out where everything is. Working in the warehouse, I know what this entails. I know this means box meals and bologna sandwiches for a significant amount of time.
Tuesday 6/30/20 Day 89 Corona and the first full day of the quarantine
Starting early this morning they began calling small groups of 5 to 8 from our unit to medical to be tested for corona. They call them over, test them, then they wait for the results. This went on until after 7:30 pm and every single person has come back, everyone is NEGATIVE. I find this suspicious. I watched the news and knew the corona spreads like wildfire. How did someone have it in here and it not spread to a single person? We touch all the same things, play the same cards, we are piled on top of each other breathing each other’s stale air, how could this possibly be?
I feel a sense of relief that no one here has it. Tomorrow they will test the other unit and we are all hoping this is just a false alarm.
Wednesday 7/1 Day 90 corona and 2nd day of quarantine
The other housing unit was tested today. We watched as small groups walked to medical and every single one came back. Everyone was negative from the rapid tests. So now what? We are hoping the communication will be restored.
Thursday 7/2 Day 91 corona and 3rd day of quarantine.
After 3 days without any contact with our loved ones, all communication has been restored and it is a huge game changer. We are still eating cold meals. Secretly I love bologna sandwiches, this will not last.
With very little contact with administration and/or any officer it is frustrating because we want at least an update of what is going on. Obviously, we are concerned for our health. Whenever anyone from the outside comes in to deliver meals they are suited and booted with all kinds of gear, which freaks us all out. I think if someone talked to us it might help.
Friday 7/3 Day 92 of corona and 4th day of quarantine.
Now that we have had the Covid scare we have an immediate release. Seems weird since this is technically a federal holiday with the 4th falling on a Saturday, so we’ll take it. There is so much excitement and hope has been restored.
Meanwhile across this country plagued by mass incarceration, millions of prisoners are in some dark lonely places. I just had my 12th cold meal and I feel bad for myself. I must remember and pray for those that have it so much worse. Some suffer in solitary confinement due to poor planning and incompetency by the prisons holding them captive.
I am truly getting a taste of what these other ladies have been going through being stuck in here and I feel the depression coming. While it is hard to be packed in here with all these people, we never have to be lonely. Being free range caged chickens, we can still roam around and have people to entertain us. I am grateful to not be locked in a cell like so many other facilities.
It is hard not to struggle with emotion being on this crazy ride. Anger seems to be so many people’s emotions. We have so much impact on those around us and being in these close quarters makes each of us have a responsibility to handle ourselves appropriately. It is not the time to be spewing hate or lacking compassion.
Not knowing when the end will be, thus not being able to count the days until this is over, is driving me and many others a bit mad. This mental downward slope seems to be happening quicker than I thought. We have not been able to buy much commissary in the weeks leading up to this and were not able to shop this week. People are running out of food, coffee, hygiene and I had no idea how many people relied on Fixodent… This is how you turn people into hoarders and make people go crazy over food, or the lack thereof.
Saturday 7/4/20 day 93 of corona and 5th day of quarantine
Today is the 4th of July. We normally would be enjoying a holiday meal and special recreation events both inside and outside. Instead, today we celebrate with another round of bologna, peanut butter, and a whole lot of unanswered questions. It is depressing.
Monday 7/6/20 day 95 of corona and 7th day of quarantine
We have made it one whole week and things are changing. The workers from the other housing unit got to go to work today. This is good news because we will get hot meals but this is bad news for me and the people I live with, we will be locked in here for another week for sure. I stood at the door like a child that was grounded and could not go out. I wanted to throw myself on the ground and have a temper tantrum, but I pulled it together.
There was another compassionate release granted today, and that is always exciting news. The lady that is currently in quarantine after testing positive was granted a significant sentence reduction . She was moving to another institution but now she is going home shortly after her quarantine is over.
Tuesday 7/7/20 day 96 of corona stay and 8th day of quarantine
I have thrown myself into full blown workout mode and have been getting in at least 3 crazy workouts a day complete with 300 burpees every day. I walk around here sweaty, tired, and disheveled like a crazy person and it really seems to work for me.
Just to add an additional ingredient to the amount of crazy, one of the guys from admin said there would be additional lists of people leaving coming soon. Ladies and gentlemen, bring your seat to the upright position and put your tray tables up… this plane is going down so hang on.
Friday 7/10/2099 of corona stay and 11th day of quarantine
Cruising right along and I could almost see the light somewhere at the end of the tunnel. But then… Being nosy and looking out the window we noticed a group of officers and folks from admin with a large crate in the parking lot. There were at least 10 guys out there unpacking what looked like a giant tent with multiple rooms. I had this feeling that I should go and warn my family something was about to happen, and I probably would not have communication. I just knew it, but I could not avert my eyes from the wreck that was happening. They would turn this thing around and roll out something else. Then they would pass the directions around and scratch their heads. It was not working, and they gave up and shoved it back in the crate and then poof! Off went the phones and computers without warning.
Apparently, they had some people about to go home and the standard procedure is to test them before they go. They had another positive, this time in the other unit. I had been thinking we would hit our 14 days next week and that was going to be our ticket out of here. This place is running out of places to put people for quarantine.
Saturday 7/11/20 100 day of corona and 12 day of quarantine
It has been over 24 hours without communication with our families once again, and not a single person has addressed us or our concerns. We haven’t even seen an officer except for them to throw our meals at us and run out the door. It is like they left town for the weekend and we will be fending for ourselves. The officer on duty that delivered our breakfast felt bad for us and tried to get something done. They announced a town hall at noon and finally showed up sometime after 1. It was a mess, and no one knew anything. The inmates asked to see someone that would have answers to our questions, but apparently there is no one. Things like this do not help our sanity.
Then along came a storm and our power went out… What next? Sunday 7/12/20 day 101 of corona and 13th day of quarantine.
I am haunted by the scene of the stupid tent. The nurses that have come to deliver pills have confirmed it was a tent to house and quarantine people. Um, where will they take a shower and go to the bathroom? They were going to set it up next to the building. They are already housing a few people for quarantine and there is only 1 shower that lasts 2 minutes for hot water. The nurses said they might just set it up in the gym… The gym that does not really have plumbing that can hold up for more than a day. Again, with no shower. This place is not equipped for this and they need a lot more than a tent.
I just pray they will not be trying to take care of people here medically. Does this tent mean no hospital if someone needs it? This terrifies me. There are some ladies here with asthma and severe allergies and they suffer and must fight to get breathing treatment. I shudder to think of someone with Covid at the mercy of anyone here.
Monday 7/13/20 day 102 of corona and day 14 quarantine
This morning we had a pleasant update from the admin. They turned on communications and once again a weight was lifted. Of course, they stirred everyone’s emotions saying they were moving half of the building in with the other side to make way for another quarantine. This is the second time we have heard this, and it never actually happened. I decided not to be concerned. I am just keeping my head down and holding on to my sanity for dear life.
We were told that anyone going on a medical trip would be quarantined for at least 14 days to not have to go through this again.
Tuesday 7/14/20 day 103 and day 15 of quarantine
They allow us to buy hygiene and over the counter medicine at the commissary. No food and no coffee… People are freaking out.
Thursday 7/16/20 day 105 and day 17
Today a girl went out on a medical trip and came back without being quarantined. People are furious. Then they dropped a bomb and the warden put a memo out on the computer limiting our phone and email. Everyone lost their minds. I will make a long story short; it was a mistake that could have been corrected rather quickly but instead got drug out for days and made everyone really upset. We have reached our breaking point.
The lady that had the first positive Covid test is back in our unit before she departs. It was a false positive. They kept her in quarantine for the first week without any of her medications. She takes meds for COPD, high blood pressure and diabetes. Let me just leave that there. You think she is positive for Covid, a respiratory illness, and you deny her meds??? Right on.
They kept checking on her and taking her blood pressure and kept telling her it was extremely high………………………………………………………………………………………………. huh.
Friday 7/17/20 day 106 of corona and day 18 of quarantine
After all the mass chaos, the administration seemed to offer us an olive branch. We got a hot meal, a town hall and some outside time. It is like a light switch went off and everyone is happy, and you would think we were handed a million dollars as I’m just waiting to see a backflip at this point.
Tuesday 7/21/20 Day 110 of corona and day 22 of quarantine
And just like that, it is over. We have gone back to work and will be having time on the track all week. This is so welcomed.
Friday 7/24/20 day 113 of corona day 25 of quarantine
I had a tooth break and tried to see the dentist. I found out the BOP has given the dentist strict guidelines not to see anyone. He basically comes in and stands at the door telling people to go because he cannot do anything for them. It must be a horrible emergency before he can do anything. There were two other ladies that needed to see him too and they were turned away. We need care around here and it is not happening. Well it wasn’t really happening before, but now there is a new excuse.
In conclusion, this was a test of the emergency broadcast system… and you failed. This was just a false positive, two of them in two weeks. What I learned is the BOP is not ready for any kind of crisis like this no matter how much they scream from the rooftops that they are. This should be a teachable moment and a reason to make things happen. No matter how many times the BOP says they have been preparing for something like this, they have no plan and nothing ready. This place needs so much work just starting with the plumbing in all the buildings. This facility is not set up to keep us apart. There is no room to quarantine. This is like a warehouse to keep us packed in here as tight as possible. Something’s got to give.
