Former inmate speaks on COVID-19 concerns

Former inmate speaks on COVID-19 concerns

INMATE.

SHE WAS RELEASEDFROM THE EDDIE WARRIORCORRECTIONAL FACILITY TWOWEEKS AGO TODAY... BUT SAYSSHE'S WORRIED FOR HERFRIENDS WHO ARE STILL IN THEPRISON DURING THE PANDEMIC.2 WORKS FOR YOU BRADYHALBLEIB JOINS US LIVE NOWWITH HER STORY.THAT'S RIGHT, SHARRA SAVAGESAYS IT WAS BITTER-SWEET TOLEAVE EDDIE WARRIOR.

SHE'SHAPPY TO BE OUT, BUT SHE'SALSO CONCERNED FOR THEHEALTH AND SAFETY OF HERFRIENDS.

MANY OF THEM SHECLAIMS, BATTLING COVID-19THE DAY SHE LEFT."It was really hard for meto leave." NOT words YOU'DEXPECT TO HEAR FROM someonerecently released fromprison."It was bittersweet becauseI do have so many friendsthere with them and even thepeople I didn't know, I felthorrible about leaving themthere." More than 400inmates at Eddie WarriorCorrectional Facility haverecovered from COVID sincethe outbreak began.

Morethan 300 inmates are stillbattling the virus."The mental health of all ofus was pretty bad because wedidn't know what was goingon." At the time, Savagesays she was among 150 otherinmates in an open-styledorm with bunk-beds stackednext to each other."6 weeks before I wasreleased, we all startedgetting sick.""The open door situation,there's no way you cansocial distance." NancyDalquest has beencorresponding with a closefriend and inmate within theprison.

She too says she'sconcerned with inmatesliving in such closequarters."So when she called whenthey moved her in the middleof the night into a roomwith 155 other women, sheassumed all infected she wasscared."DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONSofficials say the situationis complex because it's hardto social distance in aprison environment.

But,they say the lives of theinmates ARE their toppriority."This is extremelyimportant, a positive casemakes me sick but an inmatedeath makes me even sicker."THERE ARE NOW ONE-THOUSAND,THREE-HUNDRED, ANDNINETY-EIGHT INMATES WITHCOVID-19.

92-PERCENT OF THEMARE ASYMPTOMATIC.

9 HAVE NOWDIED from complicationsrelated to THE VIRUS.Meanwhile, Savage says shehopes the prison canincrease medical staff."I hope people are gettingbetter there because itsbad, it's really bad there."THREE DEPARTMENT OFCORRECTIONS STAFF MEMBERSHAVE ALSO DIED FROM THEVIRUS.

TESTING HAS BEENVOLUNTARY FOR STAFF.

THED-O-C IS NOW MAKING ITMANDATORY.

BRADY HALBLEIB 2WFY.