2020-4-9
Incarcerated people are starting to make our own masks out of scraps of cloth and rags. This is technically against the rules. Thus far c/o’s are not saying anything about it.
I don’t know what material is best for making masks, most of us are making ours out of old cotton-poly t-shirt material which has already been cut into wash rags.
The DOC has stopped giving us updates about what is happening with COVID-19 in the prison. They were giving us updates by way of memos distributed to our cells at 1 am.
2020-4-10
This morning I witnessed the kitchen workers reporting for work. Usually they are temperature checked before they are allowed in the kitchen. Today they were not. Many of the workers commented on this as their names were checked off the callout.
At lunch I was a part of a conversation with a c/o. He was wearing a mask and said he didn’t believe he needed to wear it, but that he was wearing it because his coworkers pointed out to him that c/o’s wearing masks will help keep inmates from getting riled up. I thanked him for wearing it. Regardless of his reasons, it makes things safer for everyone.
2020-4-11
We now have an ice porter on our pod whose entire job is to scoop ice from the ice chest and give it to people. This seems like a good idea, except that the ice porter is 65 and has not been given a mask or gloves while doing a job that forces them to interact with literally everyone on the unit.
I just learned that when someone asks for a mask from medical, they are charged $4 for medical to consider giving them a mask. No guarantee of getting a mask, $4 just to be considered for one.
2020-4-12
At lunch the DOC had all the diets go at the same time. Most of the people on diet line are over 50. So we had a crowd of roughly 60 people who are the most at risk for COVID-19 all packed together in a small space. This is not ok.
2020-4-13
Officers and staff are finally starting to reliably wear masks. Up till this point it was rare to see half of the officers wearing masks, now a majority of them are wearing masks, though still not all.
I took my last dose of spironolactone this morning. I’ve been trying to get it renewed for a month but medical has been unable to do so. They were able to renew my Estradiol without any issues, so I am confused as to what the problem is. If they were overwhelmed by COVID-19 I expect that neither of my HRT meds would be renewed.
2020-4-14
The ice porter has finally been issued a mask and gloves.
2020-4-15
Spoke to the Captain while in line for chow. He was saying “Anything we can do to reduce the risk of infection even just 10% is a good idea.”
I responded “So how about delivering food to the units and giving g us all masks.”
He said “go to medical for that”
I said “They only do that for people in high risk categories. This needs to be an everyone thing.”
He replied “Then I guess you don’t need that.”
2020-4-16
Today the DOC moved incarcerated people from a quarantined unit at MSU to D unit at TRU and he is not currently on quarantine here.
There are also multiple c/o’s working overtime at TRU this morning who normally work at MSU. Are they intentionally trying to spread COVID-19?
Amber Fayefox Kim 