ELOY, AZ – A worker at the Saguaro Correctional Center, a self-employed offender located in Eloy, denounces the inadequacy of non-public protective devices (PPEs) and the lack of coVID-19 protection precautions.
He called for anonymity for fear of reprisals as he was recently hired on the premises. ABC15 researchers showed the person’s employment.
“You can come in and say” hey, I don’t feel good, but since you passed your temperature control and we don’t have the staff, you’re on duty, whether you’re in poor health or not. “”The worker said.
According to a spokesman for CoreCivic, the personal company that manages the Saguaro Correctional Center, “the fitness and well-being of our workers is a very sensible priority. Since COVID-19 began to spread in the United States, we have been running to teach our most productive practices in prevention and detection, and we have taken steps to prepare for higher degrees of viruses in communities across the country. “
But for the employee, only the criminal’s inmates know what’s going on.
“Today we had 150 more. While I marked them as if they were a status right in front of me, right next to their names, they had a positive COVID and there are about 150. You have about 40 of us, the staff, all in a great room with them and we disclose them all.
Saguaro has a contract to space inmates in Idaho, Nevada, Hawaii and Kansas.
CoreCivic has demonstrated the number of inmates inflamed by the coronavirus and said there were 12 cases of COVID-19 workers at the facility, but 10 have now recovered and have been medically allowed to return to work.
“All of our painters who have not yet repainted are recovering at home and communicating with their health care providers,” said a Spokesperson for CoreCivic.
According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, no positive cases were reported among its citizens at the contract site at the Saguaro Correctional Center.
The Idaho Department of Correction reports that as of September 10, Saguaro had examined 438 Idaho inmates, 307 of whom tested negative, 3 and 121 were asymptomatic. According to their website, seven inmates are still waiting for their results.
Meanwhile, the Hawaii State Department of Public Security reports that as of September 10, 43 of its inmates had been screened in Saguaro, of which 42 tested negative.
ABC15 has also contacted the Nevada Department of Corrections, but has still obtained a response.
The whistleblower says Saguaro continues to admit new detainees with COVID-19 each week and that some arrive without a mask, endangering the staff of their transport.
“We can’t force them to wear a mask. Everyone travels on the same plane, the same cars in combination and some of those guys cough voluntarily on the staff. No mask because we’re running out of some of those things.
CoreCivic was unable to provide us with detailed data on sending detainees, which raised security issues. A Spokesman for Corecivic told us they had non-public protective equipment.
“Throughout transportation, all of our workers and those in our care get the right PPE point to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 exposure or transmission. We also follow internal rules regarding the number of Americans authorized to be in one vehicle at a time at that social distance is possible. »
According to an inventory provided through CoreCivic, as of September 3, Saguaro had an average of 10,000 masks, 1,000 face protectors and 69,000 gloves each week.
We do not know how much of this PPE is used on a basis, however, based on data provided through CoreCivic, Saguaro has about 330 workers and can house about 1,900 inmates.
The worker says they are wanted to do more because of the coronavirus exposure they face every day.
“Prisoners, when they faint, have to be quarantined for two weeks. But what about the staff? They are exposed to everyone and do not have to be quarantined or anything,” the worker said.
According to a CoreCivic spokesperson, “Whenever a worker feels that they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or if they have possibly been exposed to a positive case, they are invited to quarantine for 14 days, as through the CDC, and Seek medical recommendation from your non-public fitness service provider.
The worker told ABC15 researchers that lately they had not enough staff and were forced to stay and complete their shift even though they had symptoms similar to COVID-19. “We had an officer, she was in poor health and had a fever, but we didn’t have the staff to send her home. He stayed there even longer for a 12-hour shift.
“The Saguaro Correctional Center is recruiting and hiring staff above the existing staff style to allow wear and tear, as is standard in this area,” said a CoreCivic spokesman.
But the worker says that the truth is different and that it has negative consequences not only for them, but also for their families. “Like today, I’ve already told my young people over the next few weeks that they’ll have to stay away from me. “. I have to take precautions. This will probably get worse before it gets better, but for now it looks like it’s going to spread. “
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