April 3, 2020      2:29 PM
Texas prisons adjust to accommodate COVID-19 challenge
Employees working in Texas prisons are the weakest link
right now in the spread of COVID-19, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Executive Director Bryan Collier said in a Facebook livestream this
afternoon to discuss the spread of the current pandemic.
Collier, in a question-and-answer session with
Communications Director Jeremy Desel, outlined
the procedures the state’s prison system has undertaken to keep the spread of
the highly contagious COVID-19 under control. As of today, 3 offenders in the
system and 16 employees or contractors have tested positive for COVID-19.
“We’re the biggest risk factor,” Collier said of
employees. “Obviously, we’ve got to take care of ourselves inside, but when
we’re going home, we need to do what the governor has told us to do, which is
go home, shelter in place, and do the essentials. That’s essentially it right
now.”
By Kimberly Reeves and Scott Braddock
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