The rate of coronavirus infections has sharply declined in most California state prisons since a dramatic spike in January, but protecting inmates remains a challenge.
A leaked memo from California State Prison-Solano officials shows that an inmate who was in close contact with someone who tested positive on Jan. 30 wasn’t quarantined until two days later.
Soon after, at least two inmates tested positive, forcing the entire housing unit into a two-week quarantine.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Ike Dodson said in an email that the department was “unable to verify the source or accuracy” of the memo.
Steve Fama, an attorney with the Prison Law Office, a public-interest law firm, says penitentiaries are fertile breeding grounds for viral spread.
"If the coronavirus was designing an ideal home, it would build a prison," he said.
Even when everything is done right, it can still take many hours to get an infected inmate into isolation, according to Fama.
“While the communication is quick, and most actions are prompt, it’s not immediate,” Fama said.
While cases have declined, keeping the virus out of prisons completely is almost impossible, he said, adding that guards and staff are the biggest vectors of spread.
“Even though staff are required to be tested weekly, that is unfortunately not a foolproof, to say the least, method of ensuring that the virus is identified,” Fama said.
For instance, a staff member could test negative for COVID-19 one day, but test positive the next, Fama said.
The Solano facility has reported 16 new cases in the last two weeks. Five inmates have died from complications of the virus during the pandemic.
“The department immediately responds to positive COVID-19 cases with coordinated efforts to increase the frequency of testing, conduct contact tracing and implement isolation and quarantine measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Dodson said.