Amid spike in prison coronavirus cases, Gov. Whitmer orders testing and safety protocols – MLive.com

August 16, 2020

LANSING, MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Saturday to establish new coronavirus safety and testing protocols inside Michigan correctional facilities through the end of September.

The order mandates that incarcerated people be tested for COVID-19 upon entry to, transfer, and release from prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities, and resumes the suspension of transferring people from jails to prisons unless certain risk-reduction and testing protocols are established inside the jail.

Those protocols include screening all people entering or leaving a facility, testing inmates presenting symptoms of COVID-19, providing employees with personal protective equipment (PPE), and requiring masks and social distancing for inmates and staff.

Staff is not required to be testing on their way in or out of work, but their temperatures are taken, and recent travel information is recorded.

In light of the ongoing threat of COVID-19 to jail and prison populations, and the increased availability of testing in our state, it is now reasonable and necessary to require entry, transfer, and release testing of inmates in Michigan prisons, and to allow transfers only from jails that implement comparable testing protocols, the revised Executive Order 2020-170 reads.

The order will be in effect until Sept. 30.

The announcement comes as the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), which oversees the states prison system, has 435 active COVID-19 cases, its largest spike since the spring.

Most of those cases are in the Muskegon Correctional Facility, where an outbreak began three weeks ago.

RELATED: Coronavirus surges again in Michigan prisons, with biggest outbreak since spring

Whitmers first executive order regarding MDOC facilities took place in March, as the virus began its spread inside the state of Michigan

The order temporarily suspended the transfer of people from jails to prisons. Those transfers briefly resumed, and are now suspended again. For jails that have resumed tranfers, this latest order goes into effect on Sept. 8.

RELATED: Gov. Whitmer takes action to protect jails, detention centers from coronavirus

Beginning next Monday, a lockup facility may request an inspection to determine if they meet the safety and testing protocols necessary to transfer prisoners in.

The risk reduction protocols include screening all people coming in and out of a given facility by taking their temperature and recording travel information; providing staff with PPE; increasing circulation by opening windows and using fans; providing personal hygiene products, including soap and water, to inmates; regularly cleaning and sanitizing the facility.

Prisons are required to coordinate with local public health departments, notifying them of suspected or confirmed cases.

Visits to jails and prisons are suspended, except for attorney visits, and any inmate presenting COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, sore throat, uncontrolled cough, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, severe headache, and loss of taste or smell must be isolated and tested.

Jails will also be expected to maintain documentation of an inmates testing history.

Inmates will be subject to wide testing requirements upon intake, within 72 hours before any transfer, and within 72 hours before release.

In the event of a widespread outbreak, testing will be required on an ongoing basis, coupled with contact tracing, in coordination with the local public health department, the order reads. Prisoners who have tested positive should not be transferred unless 10 days have passed since symptom onset, 24 hours have passed since a fever resolved, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and other symptoms have improved.

The order also strongly encourage(s) the early release of certain members of the jail population, including older people, people with chronic medical conditions, pregnant people, people approaching their release date. People whose offenses were traffic violations or failure to appear or failure to pay are also considered eligible for early release under these circumstances.

RELATED: Protesters urge Whitmer to release Michigan inmates facing risk of coronavirus in state prisons

People who violate their parole will not be brought to jail unless that facility has been deemed in compliance with the protocols.

Incarcerated people are considered especially at risk for contracting COVID-19, because of the tight quarters in many jails and prisons and the shared nature of life within their walls. Early in the pandemic, protesters called upon Whitmer to release low-risk prisoners in acknowledgement of this risk.

To date, 4,351 incarcerated people and 435 MDOC employees have tested positive for COVID-19. Those figures include the deaths of 68 prisoners and three corrections workers, according to the MDOC.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/.

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