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It can be difficult to social distance, if you behind bars in jail and out of caution several regulations have been in place to prevent spread of COVID-19 in the Hays County Jail.
However, criminal justice activist group Mano Amiga is asking for more preventative measures such as releasing inmates who pose a high risk to the virus and do not pose a serious threat to the community.
According to Corrections Captain Julie Villalplando, the Hays County jail is following CDC guidelines by doing the following:
• Hand sanitizer and tissues in all areas in the jail facility, where appropriate are available to inmates.
• Increased cleaning protocol
• Providing additional cleaning supplies to inmates
• In-person visitation is banned until further notice, with the exception of attorney visits
• Signs have been posted in English & Spanish throughout the jail
• All volunteer services have been suspended until further notice.
• Access to the jail will be limited to persons with a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
Families concerned about the lack of in-person visitation will have to resort to writing letters, phone calls or video visitation with their loved one. Phone calls will be charged $0.32 a minute, which makes a 15-minute phone call cost $4.80. Video call rates are $5.95 for a 20-minute video visit.
To avoid anyone sick entering the jail, new and current inmates are screened as many other facilities are doing.
The medical department will check the temperature of incoming inmates and inmates returning from an outsourced jail. If anyone has a temperature above 100.4, they will be diverted to the hospital, and the arrestee will have a mask placed over their mouth and nose and require clearance before they can be returned to the jail and accepted.
Current inmates with a temperature above 100.4 will have a mask placed over their face and asked additional screening questions about their risk to COVID-19. If any of their answers are yes, we will test them for influenza to rule that out; if the flu test is negative, the inmate will be put in isolation in a negative pressure cell, and the Health Department will be notified.
A negative pressure room is used to contain airborne contaminants within the room, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It is unclear how many negative pressure cells are available, but Villalpando said the new jail will have many more. It’s unclear when the expanded portion of the facility will be open.
In an email, Villalpando said they will continue to change their protocol as the situation develops.
The CDC recommends that long-term care facilities cancel communal dining, check the temperature of employees and sheriffs before every shift. It is unclear if the jail is following these protocols.
Some activists say that the preventative measures in place are not enough because inmates and adolescents in juvenile detention are at higher risk to an outbreak.
At the press conference Sunday morning, Mano Amigo Policy Director Eric Martinez passed out a seven-page request of “the most urgent and necessary recommendations to ensure the well-being and safety of our communities.”
In regards to medical attention, Mano Amiga requests that incarcerated individuals are not charged for medical visits during this period and the jail provide on-site testing free of charge for any person prior to booking.
In case of family concerns, they recommend a hot line be developed so family members can check the health of their loved one.
The list asked for the immediate release of all of those sentenced to county jail sentences and all remaining incarcerated people, regardless of conviction status
unless release would present an unreasonable risk to community safety
The list requested that all pregnant, elderly people, regardless of conviction status, populations that CDC has classified as vulnerable (those with asthma, cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes) are released unless there is unless there is clear evidence it would present unreasonable risk to community safety.
The Hays Free Press will provide updates as more information becomes available.
