This story was told by a person incarcerated at Ventura County Main Jail.
Caller: It’s hard being in the Ventura County Jail. Especially when we’re lockdown 20 – 24 hours a day, literally. We get out for 15 minutes a day and actually, just recently, we were on lockdown for three days now with 15-minute showers for three days because there’s been a COVID outbreak.
And, they’re saying that over 40 inmates have it. So the ones that are here, we’re kind of just stuck in a two-man cell freaking out if we’re gonna be the next to catch COVID or not.
UCI: And what does medical say to you during the process?
Caller: Medical doesn’t even– they don’t – we don’t really even talk to medical staff here. Only time we talk to medical staff is when they come to swab our noses and that’s – but, they don’t even really give us information. They just say, “Oh, if you have COVID, you’ll be notified within the hours it takes to get back from the lab.”
It – and they – they don’t even – they don’t even let us know like who has COVID here. If it’s down our system, if it’s in our quad, if it’s in – if our neighbors have it. They don’t let us know anything so that we can take extra precautions on anything. They don’t sanitize the units like they should be every day.
So basically the deputies, they come in they — they wear their same gloves in every unit. They don’t change their gloves. They come in from the outside, wearing their boots. COVID-19 has a surfaced infection and it can be on the bottom of their shoes. It can be on their jacket sleeve.
Something they rub against or walk in and we’re stepping in or touching the same thing. Next thing, you know, we have COVID. They don’t – their sanitary is not high here.
