First Case of Coronavirus Found Among New York Prison Population

(Bloomberg) -- An inmate in New York’s prison system has been infected with the coronavirus -- the first case reported by prison officials.

“This detainee has been removed from the general population and is being closely monitored by Correctional Health Services,” New York City’s Department of Corrections said in a statement on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the department said a guard at New York’s Rikers Island jail also tested positive for the coronavirus as some city officials called on law enforcement to curtail arrests for low-level crimes in the midst of a pandemic.

The guard, who’s not being named, is under the care of a medical professional, said Peter Thorne, a spokesman for New York City’s Department of Corrections.

“The officer is assigned to a post that does not routinely include contact with people in custody and will not return to work until medically cleared,” Thorne said in a statement. “Individuals who had close contact with this employee are being identified and advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.”

The department said it’s also attempting to identify and notify those who may have been in contact with the inmate.

Rikers is located on a 413-acre island in the Bronx section of New York. It currently has about 6,000 inmates, the correction officers’ union said.

The news of the infected officer came as New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson wrote to the city’s five district attorneys and state court officials asking for a stop to arrests for low-level drug-possession cases and crimes like fare beating.

“The NYPD should stop burdening the courts and district attorneys with low-level arrests,” Johnson said in Wednesday’s letter.

Defense lawyers and advocacy groups are also increasingly asking judges to release inmates from custody, citing the potential risk of contracting coronavirus in crowded jails often known to have unsanitary conditions and poor health care. At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Council Member Brad Lander called for the release of all inmates over 50 years of age.

The Rikers Island guard works at a security checkpoint that most visitors use to enter the compound, said Michael Skelly, a spokesman for the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, which represents more than 11,000 jail employees who work in New York City.

Elias Husamudeen, the president of union, said in an interview Wednesday that his officers continue to lack masks, gloves and other equipment to keep them safe during the public health crisis. Some officers are being asked to share used masks after their shift has ended, he said.

The corrections union said recent bail reforms had already resulted in the release of hundreds non-violent detainees, leaving those who are accused of violent felonies.

“It’s 100% a safety issue,” Husamudeen said. “Instead of recklessly letting inmates out, we call on the city to ramp up its efforts to bring in more masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, and other vital supplies for the men and women who must also put their health at risk by showing up to work every day.”

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