This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Vacaville.
Mind you, reception center inmates aren’t allowed appliances such as TVs or radios; even phone calls for that matter; we were permitted emergency phone calls by the governor. Reception center inmates didn’t really have a good grasp on the severity of this virus.
At one point our unit was called to go and pick up our commissary at the canteen. A canteen worker yelled, “Hey you guys need to stay six feet apart. You guys don’t have TVs or radios like us mainline inmates. But people are dying man.”
Of course one thing we were allowed to were newspapers, and I looked around until I finally found one. It amazed me just how much effected the world was due to COVID. Literally, every article in the newspaper pertained to the coronavirus. Yes even Dear Abby! A myriad of people were passing away because of this plague.
Amid all of this I was sent to ad seg (administrative segregation) simply another word for solitary confinement. I was labeled as a gang associate and sent to the hole for institutional gang investigators. Fortunately, in the hole we are allowed wind up radios and I tuned in to various news stations. Incrementally, I learned more and more about the virus.
In June of 2020, the virus spread in San Quentin like wildfire. Many inmates who worked alongside staff were quickly infected. And since ad seg contained about 50 cells with solid doors; it was imperative to quarantine infected inmates in ad seg. Without warning of any kind these exposed inmates began spreading COVID via the showers.
Furthermore CDCR staff were instructed to disinfect showers after each use; per their superiors. By and large COs disregarded this protocol in fear that they be exposed themselves. Harping on this issue, I recall asking one CO to spray down the shower for me, and he became upset; told me no; and even cut my shower off quickly.
Occasionally I would see outside volunteers in protective gear (that looked like astronauts) cleaning our unit. It should be noted that besides ad seg, the adjustment center (the hole for death row inmates) and the hospital the rest of the cells at SQ were made up of bars; ergo COVID ran rampant.
