This story was told by a person incarcerated at Solano.
Caller: Quarantine viewed as punishment while COVID spreads in prison population. Choosing between taking a shower or calling your family has never been an issue, but for the residents placed in CSP Solano’s quarantine, it’s become more like punishment. As it stands, those housed in building seven and nine in CSP Solano, are allowed, on average, 15 minutes to either shower or make a phone call, once a day.
Although these buildings have been operating as medical observation points since the middle of last year, there is just now some talk of giving those that find themselves in these buildings for 21 days, or more, yard access. Albeit, in the walk-alone or dog kennel cages.
That is the normal observation period to showing signs of COVID-19. One person who was transferred in from [redacted] has been in building nine for about 55 days. Others for three weeks. All with negative test results.
In order to be placed in one of the two main observation buildings, someone in a general area has to test positive for COVID-19. Once that happens, the entire dorm, consisting of eight to 10 people, are isolated. So far, all buildings have been affected at least three times, and some entire buildings have had to be moved to, for deep-cleaning. Currently, buildings where a single dorm has had someone test positive is not cleaned by HSM, the standard bearer of hazardous or needed cleaning.
On December 23, 2020, when D yard’s dorm eight, building 21 arrived in quarantine building nine, officer [redacted], third watch, stated, “It’s best not to even come out.” He noted that those arriving have to test negative at least six times. That was in response to being asked what the program was and how long someone has to stay back there.
The following morning, second watch building nine officer [redacted] was asked about the assignments to cohorts that arrive. He stated, “No one’s even keeping up with the cohorts. We’re all just winging it.”
The cohort design was set up by medical as a way to track those who come in. That means medical is in charge of the intake and release from isolation buildings.
