CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Congressman David B. McKinley in calling upon the federal government to better equip two in-state prisons currently in use as Coronavirus quarantine sites for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The leaders sent a joint letter May 5 urging Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to help secure point-of-care testing machines for FCI Gilmer and FCI Hazelton, located in Gilmer and Preston counties, respectively.
The machines, which Azar recently offered the U.S. Senate, can be operated in the field and provide results in as little as five minutes.
“If these machines are good enough for the Senate, then they are good enough for our heroes on the actual front lines of this crisis — including our correctional guards, nurses, and staff,” the trio wrote in the letter. “Our correctional officers and staff already face dangers every day in the line of duty; dangers that they know, understand, and can respond to.
“But exposing them to an infectious agent like COVID-19 without warning forces them to fly blind. They deserve better. And because COVID-19 is so virulently contagious, depriving officers and staff of this information doesn’t just threaten them, but threatens everyone in Gilmer County and communities like it. The federal government should do everything in its power to deliver on its promises to the West Virginians who keep us safe, and make sure that all inmates transferred into the facilities we maintain are appropriately screened for COVID-19.”
One of the inmates transferred into FCI Gilmer has tested positive for COVID-19 despite assurances from the Bureau of Prisons.
Morrisey, Capito and McKinley say that proves even more needs to be done to ensure the safety of corrections officers, their families and the local community.
“In times of crisis, it becomes all the more important to ensure that we are giving our first responders the back-up and support they deserve,” the trio wrote. “The Department of Health and Human Services can make great strides towards this goal by helping to secure more testing equipment to the Bureau of Prisons. Thank you so much for your attention to this matter."