New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is preparing to release inmates from city jails who particularly “vulnerable” to reduce the chances of a possible coronavirus spread.
On Wednesday evening, de Blasio appeared on WCBS radio where he discussed his plans set to take place over the next 48 hours.
“In the next 48 hours, we will identify any inmates who need to be brought out because of either their own health conditions — if they have any preexisting conditions, etc. — or because the charges were minor and we think it’s appropriate to bring them out in this context,” de Blasio said.
The city is considering releasing inmates from city jails who could be susceptible to the coronavirus. At City Hall yesterday, Mayor de Blasio said questions about vulnerable inmates were "fair and important." pic.twitter.com/84g0QV7x41
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) March 18, 2020
The mayor’s radio interview on Wednesday came shortly after a correctional officer and inmate both received positive coronavirus test results. On Wednesday, more than 1,800 people — up from the roughly 800 positive cases on Tuesday — had tested positive in New York City, alone, as testing continued to expand.
In the wake of the positive results, the Correction Officers Benevolent Association union requested new masks and new offenders not to be placed in Rikers Island.
The Board of Corrections — which overseas prisons in the United States —have also backed the idea to release inmates amid the coronavirus — a move that California and Ohio have already begun.
The board insists New York City should follow suit. In a statement released on Tuesday, the BOC explained why it is imperative to start the process of releasing inmates immediately.
“The City must begin this process now,” the BOC said in a statement Tuesday. “The City’s jails have particular challenges to preventing disease transmissions on a normal day and even more so during a public health crisis.”
According to Correctional Health Services, a total of 20 more inmates have been tested for coronavirus. However, none of their results were positive.
