At least four states in the U.S. have started to release inmates from their jails to protect vulnerable inmates as coronavirus infections have begun to appear from within.
New York City will be releasing “vulnerable” inmates who have underlying health conditions, including those who were arrested for minor crimes, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday.
His decision comes as an inmate at Rikers Island in the city tested positive for the virus and eight others are showing symptoms.
“This inmate was in a housing unit with other inmates, all have been checked for symptoms,” de Blasio said at a news conference. “Eight have been identified with symptoms and have been moved also to isolation within the communicable disease unit.”
Disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein will be also be moved from Rikers to a maximum-security prison located just east of Buffalo and next to the Canada border.
Other prisons in New York, including Sing Sing — located 30 miles north of Manhattan — have seen inmates test positive for COVID-19, according to the BBC. An employee for the state’s corrections department has died from the virus. – READ MORE
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