{"id":4355,"date":"2020-10-16T20:43:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-17T06:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=4355"},"modified":"2020-10-17T04:53:13","modified_gmt":"2020-10-17T14:53:13","slug":"the-covid-19-outbreak-at-occc-is-under-control-pio-toni-schwartz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2020\/10\/16\/the-covid-19-outbreak-at-occc-is-under-control-pio-toni-schwartz\/","title":{"rendered":"The COVID-19 outbreak at OCCC is under control \u2013 PIO Toni Schwartz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Elpidio R. Estioko
<\/strong>
There is something Hawaii residents need to know: COVID-19 did not spare the inmates and staff in one of its detention cells on the island!

However, the outbreak at the Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) is under control, according to Toni Schwartz, Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Hawaii Department of Public Safety (PSD).

\u201cThere are currently no inmates hospitalized,\u201d she added.

As to the class action suit filed over the COVID-19 outbreak at the OCCC, Schwartz said: \u201cThe Department of Public Safety has not been served with a copy of the lawsuit. We have been advised not to comment on possible pending litigation. We defer to the Attorney General\u2019s office for response on legal matters.\u201d

This was the latest information Hawaii Filipino Chronicle got from the class suit filed after the Aug. 7 COVID-19 outbreak in OCCC where 310 inmates and 9 staff were reported found positive for the virus.

In an email sent to us, Schwartz said, \u201cThe Department of Public Safety follows the national standards and guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH). We are aware of the risks over-population and crowding in our jails, especially during this pandemic and that is why the PSD Health Care Division developed a comprehensive pandemic response plan for the facilities that is reviewed by the facilities and updated frequently.

\u201cEach facility has adapted the plan to meet their individual facility needs. Each facility has situations they deal with that are unique to their facility, and the administration at those facilities takes that into consideration as they execute their plans to the best of their ability.\u201d

Schwartz added in her email that PSD staff are practicing the recommended health and safety protocols such as wearing the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Staff and inmates are under close PSD supervision as well.

\u201cAll facilities have been issued PPE and routinely keep an inventory of PPE for continuous distribution to staff as recommended in the Pandemic Plan. Each employee has been issued several face masks. Face shields have been issued to all facilities for distribution to staff as added protection. Staff have gloves and other protective supplies, available all over the facility,\u201d she explained.

Aside from proving PPE to the staff, inmates are frequently informed about ways to limit the spread of COVID-19.

\u201cInmates are frequently reminded of proactive ways they can help prevent the spread of germs, including wearing their facility-issued masks at all times, frequent handwashing, sanitizing their common living areas, refraining from sharing cups and utensils with other and limiting close contact,\u201d Schwartz said.

\u201cThey have also been reminded if they are not feeling well, to report it immediately.\u201d

On Aug. 7, PSD confirmed the first inmate and three employees were found COVID-19 positive. They were immediately placed in a mandatory 14-day quarantine, as is procedure for all new inmates and staff.

\u201cThe facility acted quickly to implement the Department\u2019s COVID-19 pandemic protocol for correctional facilities, in an effort to mitigate any potential spread of the virus,\u201d said Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda.

According to Espinda, PSD worked closely with DOH to ensure and maintain \u201cthe health and welfare of our staff and the incarcerated population.\u201d

PIO Schwartz confirmed that all facilities follow the PSD Pandemic Response Plan which falls in line with CDC and DOH guidelines for identifying and isolating inmates who fit the CDC and DOH criteria for testing.

Meanwhile, PSD and the DOH are continuing mass testing of OCCC inmates and staff to mitigate virus spread in the incarcerated population. There were no new positive OCCC inmate or staff results reported lately and there are currently no inmates hospitalized. The total number of PSD staff who have recovered and returned to work has jumped to 85.

In a press release issued on Sept. 28, PSD\u2019s Health Care Division \u201cis working with Hawaii Department of Health to conduct mass testing for COVID-19 at all correctional facilities. The broad-based testing at the neighbor island jails is beginning with the staff. PSD and the DOH are continuing mass testing of OCCC inmates to mitigate virus spread in the incarcerated population.\u201d

PSD\u2019s COVID-19 update reported that OCCC has seen a substantial decrease in the number of active infected inmates since the beginning of August. DOH began the fourth round of follow-up testing at OCCC to make sure the virus remains under control in the incarcerated population. There were no new COVID-19 test results received for OCCC staff or inmates lately and there are currently no inmates hospitalized, the release stated.

According to a Hawaii News Now Sept. 21 article, \u201cA class-action suit was filed over COVID-19 outbreak at OCCC\u201d alleging that \u201cprison officials failed to protect staffers and several sick inmates with health ones.\u201d

According to Atty. Eric Seitz, the lawyer who filed the class suit, \u201cThis was not just negligence, it was not indifference. It was in our view malicious that they did not take proper steps to protect people who cannot protect themselves.\u201d

Among the allegations are: \u201cone inmate who got sick said he was required to work in a kitchen with a prison staffer who was infected with COVID-19.\u201d

Another prisoner said he got infected \u201cafter he was placed in the same room for two days with another inmate who was feverish and later tested positive.\u201d The ACO alleged that \u201cshe was assigned to one of the prison\u2019s annexes where there were 65 positive cases.\u201d

PSD had no immediate comment on the lawsuit but has said that it has provided staff with proper equipment, including face shield, masks and gloves.

Besides, according to Schwartz, they are still waiting for the copy of the class suit and they are \u201cnot in a position to discuss the case due to possible pending litigation.\u201d

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO<\/strong> was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and an award-winning journalist here in the US. For feedbacks, comments\u2026 please email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Elpidio R. EstiokoThere is something Hawaii residents need to know: COVID-19 did not spare…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=2500%2C1875",2500,1875,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=150%2C150",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=300%2C225",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=640%2C480",640,480,true],"large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=640%2C480",640,480,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=1536%2C1152",1536,1152,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536",2048,1536,true],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C800",1200,800,true],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=870%2C570",870,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=600%2C900",600,900,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=600%2C600",600,600,true],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=1077%2C715",1077,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=522%2C500",522,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=1024%2C768",1024,768,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=540%2C285",540,285,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?resize=375%2C250",375,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"As I See It<\/a>","tag_info":"As I See It","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/OCCC-2.jpg?fit=2500%2C1875","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4355"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4355"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4356,"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4355\/revisions\/4356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}