A small protest took place outside the Maui Community Correctional Center in Wailuku on Friday, seeking protection for detainees in COVID-19, where a virus outbreak was first reported four weeks ago.
The Maui Community Correctional Center cluster was updated on Friday to include 75 detainees who tested positive (43 are active and 32 have recovered). The Department of Public Safety reports that 44 people are medically isolated and 211 people in quarantine at the last report.
To date, 722 tests have been performed at MCCC, 643 have been returned as negative and four have been inconclusive.
State officials say an MCCC employee also reported a positive result from independent testing.
The department reports that COVID-19 testing is ongoing at the state level at all facilities, and all other Hawaiian detainees are virus-free.
Organizers say the protest included the participation of community members and loved ones of detainees calling for “improved immediate protections to prevent the spread of COVID19.”
Requests include: the provision of “adequate” medical care; ensuring that there are no mixtures of positive COVID-19 detainees with suspected cases; applying the mask to inmates; provide new masks for detainees each day or two cloth masks for each detainee so that they can wash and reuse them; and keeping those exposed to COVID-19 quarantined in a location separate from confirmed cases. The group is also looking for adequate space insurance to the unit in the sleeping spaces is followed.
- (A full list of applications is available at the bottom of this article).
County officials said the state Department of Health is following standard contact tracking and quarantine isolation.
Toni Schwartz, a spokesman for the State Department of Public Safety, responded to Maui Now’s request for comment, saying:
“The Department of Public Safety is aware of the concerns expressed by families and that is why the security of the Maui Community Correctional Center and medical staff are working for hours to protect staff and detainees and mitigate the spread of the virus.”
She went on to say: “The institution’s healthcare staff monitors detainees for symptoms, takes temperatures and performs health checks at least twice a day. All offenders were also told if they had pain or symptoms of upper respiratory disease to report immediately to medical staff. If it is after hours, the facility will call a doctor on duty for consultation. No detainee required hospitalization due to COVID-19. ”
Last week, Mayor Michael Victorino received confirmation from the Hawai’i Health Director that the Department of Health will conduct a second round of immunizations at the correctional facility.
State officials say detainees who give positive or negative results are placed in designated housing units within the facility and separated, as determined by medical staff, as recommended by the DOH and in accordance with the PSD Pandemic Response Plan.
“The facilities follow the PSD Pandemic Plan for the medical isolation, quarantine and cohort of detainees based on the guidelines recommended by the CDC and DOH,” said Schwartz, who presented the following precautions:
- All criminals have received at least two cloth masks at the entrance and must wear them.
- Criminals also have the option to purchase masks through the commissioner if they prefer different brands or styles.
- All detainees and staff must comply with all safety and sanitation protocols, including wearing a barrier mask over their noses and mouths in detainees’ homes and common areas, washing their hands frequently and maintaining an adequate social distance as far as possible.
- All criminals have unrestricted access to hot water, soap and sanitary equipment.
“The PSD Health Care Division has made every effort to ensure that there is a comprehensive plan to protect the health of all detainees and staff in our units. They have developed a comprehensive pandemic response plan for all facilities, based on current guidance from the CDC and approved by the Correctional Health Office of the American Correctional Association, ”Schwartz said in a statement.
According to Schwartz, “Each unit has adapted the plan to meet its individual needs. Each facility has situations to deal with, which are unique to their facility, and the administration at these facilities takes this into account as it executes its plans as far as possible. ”
The complete list of applications submitted by the organizers of the demonstration is included below:
- Immediate medical isolation of confirmed or suspected cases of COVID19, with adequate medical care; COVID + sick detainees do not receive adequate medical care.
- Quarantine, all newcomers and those who had close contacts with COVID19. It immediately stops mixing COVID + detainees with suspicious cases and the general population NOW.
- Staff must wear masks at all times and require detainees to wear masks.
- Staff must be regularly tested and medically checked before entering.
- New masks every day for detainees or two cloth / detainee masks so that they can wash / reuse. Suitable PPE (gloves and masks n95) for laundry workers, in accordance with the appropriate mask cleaning protocol.
- The MCCC must comply with CDC rules which include: “Confirmed cases must be housed in a well-ventilated room with solid walls and a solid door that closes completely and separately from suspected cases”; and those exposed to COVID-19 should be quarantined separately from confirmed cases
- The MCC must comply with the cohort requirements of the Hawaii Correctional Surveillance Commission, including: Beds must be at least 6 feet apart, double beds have a single occupant; and consideration of medical isolation and quarantine of cases at increased risk of severe disease due to COVID-19 (ie elderly, schizophrenics, etc.)
- Responsibility – Victorio must allocate funds to bring the Hawaii Correctional Surveillance Commission to the MCCC to ensure that they begin to comply with the state protocol and the CDC.
- Transparency – prompt sharing of accurate data on MCCC covid infections.