By Sarah Calams
NEW YORK — Officials with New York City’s Department of Corrections reported an alarming increase of positive COVID-19 cases.
As of Friday, 103 inmates and 80 correctional officers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the New York Post. At the beginning of the week, there were over 5,000 inmates in NYC DOC jails. By Friday, that number had decreased by over 300, according to the report.
NYC DOC officials did not clarify which facilities were affected, but the majority have been reported on Rikers Island. An inmate at Rikers, who spoke directly to the NY Post, said correctional officers have been enforcing social distancing during meal time.
In order to lessen the amount of positive cases at Rikers, defense attorneys and prosecutors are identifying inmates who can be moved from jail to house arrest. Furthermore, the Legal Aid Society announced Friday that a judge OK’d the release of 106 inmates who were being held on technical parole violations.