This story was told by a person incarcerated at Solano.
Caller: Well, those who did not test positive as of yet, were placed in the gyms with other positive infected inmates or in other buildings with positive infected inmates until everybody who was placed in it, who caught, contracted COVID. And we was housed in a small building, no social distancing, just no more than two-and-a-half feet away from each other but, from each other as we sleep, slept.
UCI: Mmhmm. And, and they did this to, I mean, pretty much everyone, right? I mean you said that not a lot of them were testing positive, but just, really just being moved. So, were they just, I mean, what did staff say to you? Were you guys able to get access to any medical help if you did test positive?
Caller: Well, the only thing that happened when we tested positive was they moved us from a quarantine building, from a single cell, to a smaller building where the bunks is just two-and-a-half feet away from each other and just piled, piled us in like we was sardines.
UCI: How many individuals do you think were in the quarantine room, would you say?
Caller: In the, in the quarantine building or in the small buildings?
UCI: The quarantine building, and then you can even say the little smaller buildings, too.
Caller: Well, its quarantine building is like 178.
UCI: Mmhmm.
Caller: Then the small building was 200.
UCI: Two hundred individuals, wow. And did you guys have any, I mean, currently, do you guys even still have access to hand sanitizer or masks or anything like that?
Caller: They give us masks. However, the hand sanitizer is alcohol-free.
UCI: Mmhmm.
Caller: Because it’s cheaper.
UCI: And have you seen that pretty consistently, even through, like, other areas, like, they’re kind of like, do they not, I mean, if you had individuals at your facility that have tested positive, are they able to get access to Advil or Tylenol or anything like that?
Caller: Mostly through the doctors, but you gotta get mostly over-the-counter, they only sell over-the-counter. In canteen, there’s ibuprofen and naproxen. They don’t give out Tylenol in the canteen, so you gotta go see the doctor.
UCI: And, is it easy to see a doctor? Or are you having to wait long periods of time to get help?
Caller: You have to wait.
Caller: Maybe two, three, maybe a month.
UCI: Wow, to see a doctor. So by the time that most, so by the time that most-
Caller: Two, three weeks.
UCI: Two, three weeks, yeah. So, by the time most individuals see a doctor, you would say that their symptoms are -if they did test positive – are pretty much over with?
Caller: Yes.
UCI: Mmhmm.
Caller: The only way to see a doctor immediately is to do a “man down”, and most times, they don’t even come take you to see a doctor. They tell you to drink some, drink a lot of water and go back to your bunk.
