Coronavirus: worried about Rikers Island prison in New York

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In New York, the health situation inside the Rikers prison worries the authorities. The contamination rate is 9 times higher than elsewhere in the country. Human rights organizations and detainee lawyers are calling for the release of those who can be released. The guards' union also denounces a lack of resources. 

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With our correspondent in New York , Loubna Anaki

Ronald was released just over a week ago after 4 months at Rikers Island. The prison has 4,000 prisoners and dormitories that are often overcrowded. Difficult, according to him to protect himself against the coronavirus. "  In my dorm we were maybe 37, everyone walks, touches everything. Some people do not have proper hygiene. There are germs everywhere . "

Asthmatic and suffering from a leg injury, Ronald is one of a hundred prisoners released in an attempt to reduce the prison population and avoid a health crisis. At Rikers, there are already more than 360 cases of Covid-19. Detainees and guards complain about the lack of resources… “  Soap and water were all we had, no disinfectant. And for the masks, we had 2 in 14 days.  "

According to his lawyer, Kristin Bruan, the prison administration is ill-prepared to manage such a crisis. “  For example, one of the problems is that when someone has coronavirus, they are isolated. But if someone else sneezes or coughs, they are isolated with the infected patients, even if they, in fact, are not.  "

She is fighting to have another of her clients released. Peter recounts the tensions between prisoners seeking protection. “  People are ready to fight. I'm scared, I tell myself, we're going to be left to die here.  " 

The Governor of New York said on Saturday that 200 more prisoners should be released from house arrest in an attempt to curb the epidemic on Rikers Island.

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