This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Chowchilla.
Dear PrisonPandemic,
Hello. How are you doing? Thank you for taking the time out to want to know how things are going in prison due to COVID-19.
I’m not going to lie, things have been rough and very unorganized. We went to a few positive cases to over 500 positive cases in the course of two weeks. There is no way for us to be socially distanced, due to living in eight-man cells. The room I’m currently in had six girls, but two have tested positive. So now it’s four.
My roommate wears her mask all the time and washes her hands, yet still caught COVID. They only allow us to program for 45 minutes and we can only program with other “quarantined” rooms. “Quarantine” rooms are rooms where someone has tested positive. Once you test positive they tell you to pack your belongings but still take an hour to move you out the room.
Anyways, so my roommate was not feeling good but it was just a runny nose. So she thought it was allergies. The third day she couldn’t taste or smell so we informed the cops. They told the nurses, but it took them almost an hour to have her step out the room to test her. All the while she was in the room further exposing us.
Anyways, so she left and ended up testing positive. When an inmate tests positive they move you to 501 or 502 where there are other positive inmates. So we cleaned the room with our own soap. One week later, another roommate test positive. She was showing no signs.
It is very scary to know the virus is in the room and we are not allowed to leave. Even though we clean the room, I’m sure we didn’t get all of it. We are basically sitting here until we all catch it. What I think should happen is someone who is certified in cleaning should come and properly cleaning it.
Now we are only allowed to shop 55 dollars instead of our normal 220 we usually shop. This is devastating because we already are under the stress of being locked down all day. And now we have to budget buying food and hygiene for the month.
The food is nasty so we have to fall back on canteen. We cannot go outside because our building is quarantine. I have not gone outside in over a month. I do not think this is right. We need fresh air as human beings. We are breathing in recycled air.
My next door neighbor have all tested positive for COVID-19. There was six people. They send positive inmates to a room in 501 or 502 with a room full of other positive inmates. So even if you may have tested false-positive, for sure you are catching it now.
Mental health does not come by to see us because our building is not quarantined. We are fed in our cells. My body is in pain not because I have symptoms but because I am laying on an uncomfortable bed all day because I cannot go out due to quarantine.
I was informed by a CO who wants to remain confidential that they offered the COs a COVID vaccine on the 28, 29, and 30th of December. And out of all the staff working the prison, only about one in 15 staff took the vaccine because they are scared of the vaccine.
This is crazy because the staff is the one bringing in the COVID-19 to us and it is quickly spreading like wildfire. And the fact they were given the option to get the vaccine and put a stop to exposing us is ludicrous.
At the end of the day, they get to be home, have medicine, comfortable bed, good bed, medical care if they do get COVID. And if we get COVID we are thrown in a cell with other sick inmates and have to experience every painful moment of the sickness and hope we get better fast.
We get no type of medicine or pain meds. We are not offered nutritious food. It’s very sad! If you would like to know anything else, please feel free to ask what exactly type of information you are looking for? Thank you.
Sincerely.
