More than 500 women in a federal medical prison in Texas have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Bureau of Prisons said, in what has become one of the largest outbreaks in a federal prison.
One of the inmates who has tested positive is Reality Winner, a former government contractor serving a five-year prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to submitting a classified report to a news organization.
The number of confirmed cases at Federal-Carswell Medical Center in Fort Worth rose to 510 on Tuesday, just two days after the Bureau of Prisons reported that 200 women were infected. Only Seagoville Federal Prison, also located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, had more infected inmates, with 1,156 cases as of Tuesday.
“We are like a bunch of hamsters in a cage chasing our own tails,” said Carswell prey Holli Chapman.
More than 500 women at Federal Medical Center-Carswell have tested positive for COVID-19. (Federal Bureau of Prisons)
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Three weeks ago, the prison had reported only three confirmed cases of the virus among inmates. One prisoner, Andrea Circle Bear, died in April. On July 12, Sandra Kincaid, 69, became the second woman to die from the virus. The third, Teresa Ely, 51, died Monday.
FMC-Carswell holds inmates with medical and mental health problems. It currently has 1,357 prisoners. Since April, many inmates have told the Forth Worth Star-Telegram that they were concerned that the virus could spread through the prison.
The reality winner, according to the Associated Press, is one of the inmates who has contracted the coronavirus. (Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office through AP)
OVER 1,000 IMMATES POSITIVE TEST FOR CORONAVIRUSES IN FEDERAL PRISON
The Carswell administration directed questions to the Bureau of Prisons. The agency said in a statement that it is taking precautions to stop the spread of the virus.
“As with any type of emergency situation, we carefully evaluate how to best ensure the safety of staff, inmates and the public,” the agency said. “All of our facilities are implementing the BOP guideline to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
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Last week, several Carswell women told the newspaper that the facility did not have enough disinfection supplies or protective equipment. The women also noted that the cells are not cleaned immediately after someone tests positive. Inmate Sandra Shoulders said mattresses used by women who tested positive are stacked in a television room.
“We feel basically abandoned,” he said. “[Officers] They say they are doing all of this for us, that they are here with us. But they are not the ones who are quarantined 24 hours, they stay in a 6 by 6 cell with three other people with 10-minute showers, 10 minutes to be on the phone or email to communicate with their families. “
