Courts, prisons can’t keep people apart
But both have protocols to deal with epidemics
Social distancing, a key strategy for curtailing the spread of the coronavirus, is not an option for the 12,340 people confined in Connecticut prisons and the thousands more who work there.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to keep about six feet of distance between people to prevent the spread of the virus also cannot be easily accomplished in the 38 state courthouses, where hundreds of people congregate daily.
With the arrival of COVID-19 in Connecticut — two cases had been confirmed in the state as of Tuesday — Department of Correction and Judicial Branch spokesmen say they are taking measures to make their facilities as safe as possible.
“This is nothing new for our agency,” said Karen Martucci, director of the DOC’s External Affairs Division. “We have emergency protocols for pandemics. We’ve had to do this with the flu, H1N1 and Ebola. We have a template. We’re not starting at zero.”
The DOC is questioning all social visitors, vendors and volunteers arriving at the state’s 14 prisons to determine whether they have fever, cough or shortness of breath. Prison visits have not been curtailed, according to Martucci.
The department has postponed large employee meetings and gatherings, including a family night scheduled at the DOC’s training academy earlier this week.
The department also has suspended the $3 co-pay it charges inmates for “sick call” health appointments, Martucci said. Flu shots have been made available to inmates and staff.
Every facility has a customized pandemic plan and designated areas, isolated from the population, where patients can be quarantined if necessary.
Additionally, the department is taking part in state command staff updates at least three times a week and working to keep the facilities clean. Special attention is being paid to the restraints that are placed on inmates and state vehicles.
“We’re continuing to adjust using CDC guidelines and Gov. (Ned) Lamont’s directives,” Martucci said.
Correction Commissioner Rollin Cook has sent memoranda to update employees on March 4 and Tuesday,
“This is nothing new for our agency. We have emergency protocols for pandemics. We’ve had to do this with the flu, H1N1 and Ebola. We have a template. We’re not starting at zero.” KAREN MARTUCCI, STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION
noting in the most recent communication that the agency, at the direction of Gov. Lamont, has frozen out-of-state work travel. DOC employs 6,269 people, of whom 3,448 are correction officers.
“The Department of Correction continues to prepare for an exposure at one of our facilities through increased cleaning and disinfecting, ensuring we order an ample supply of personal protective equipment, educating the population on signs and symptoms and reminders of the importance of hand washing, and monitoring the evolving messages from the CDC as our official guidance,” the memo said.
Working from home is not an option for many who staff the courthouses and many who work in the Judicial Branch’s other 50 buildings, including juvenile detention facilities and probation offices. The branch has 4,270 employees, including judges and fulltime, part-time and temporary staff.
Judicial Branch spokeswoman Rhonda Stearley-Hebert said the branch is examining expanded use of audio or video conferencing; regionalization of court functions; staggered scheduling of dockets to reduce the number of individuals in a confined court space at the same time; and other options.
Stearley-Hebert said Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson and Chief Court Administrator Patrick L. Carroll III have assured judges and employees that the branch is focusing on keeping courthouses and offices healthy and safe.
“Their top priority is to minimize possible exposure to and spread of this virus,” Stearley-Hebert said in an email. The Judicial Branch has frozen out-of-state business travel until further notice and has asked employees to use teleconferencing and online collaboration, if possible, with out-of-state contractors and colleagues.
In addition to the recommendations to wash hands frequently and avoid face-touching, the branch has shared the CDC’s latest guidance with judges and employees. Those guidelines are: Stay home if you are sick. If you spent time in Italy, Iran, South Korea or China during the past 14 days, stay home for 14 days from the time you left the country and practice social distancing, or keeping at a physical distance from other people.
If you spent time in Japan during the past 14 days and feel sick with fever, cough or have difficulty breathing, seek medical advice.
Any employee with confirmed COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, should remain under home isolation precautions until the risk of secondary transmission to others is thought to be low. The decision to discontinue home isolation precautions should be made on a case-bycase basis by your health care provider.