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(CNN) - The number of coronavirus-infected inmates in the California prison system increased more than sevenfold in just over a week, while confirmed cases among staff nearly tripled, leaving some inmates fearful that the cases would explode even when officials have begun to take steps to reduce the speed of spread.
Twenty-nine inmates and more than 60 staff members have now tested positive for the virus, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said Wednesday. A significant increase from last week when the department reported that only four inmates and about 22 employees had tested positive for the deadly disease.
- Federal prisons in the USA will confine inmates to their cells for 2 weeks due to coronavirus
"There are people in Italy dying, people in Spain dying, people in the United States dying, people in panic, worried people, and scared people," Samuel Brown, an inmate at California State Prison in Los County, told CNN Angels “And the truth of the matter is that prisoners are people. So we are also afraid. "
"And there is also the possibility that we will die."
Nine inmates infected with the coronavirus are at Brown's facility, another 17 at the California Institution for Men in Chino County; another at the California Institution for Women in Chinese, one more at the North Kern State Prison in Delano and one more at the Substance Abuse Training Facility in Corcoran.
At the Brown facility, four staff members tested positive.
The department told CNN that it was responding to the outbreak with a mandatory two-week plan at all adult institutions that will modify inmates' routines to include social distancing and proper disinfection.
"Over the next 14 days there will be many changes within our institutions, but we do so with the general health and safety of all who live and work in them, and the health and safety of the public, at the forefront," said the secretary of the CDCR Ralph Díaz in a statement.
Inside prisons, keeping a distance isn't that easy
But social distancing is not easy to achieve in prisons, where inmates share cells, showers, and other closed places.
Brown told CNN that he has to share a space as small as "a closet" with another inmate.
"An impending disappearance is waiting for us all and we really don't know what to expect or what to anticipate," said the 43-year-old inmate. "The potential of the ... virus to spread like a forest fire (in prison) is really high."
Mobile clinics for people with covid symptoms-19 2:18The department said that to support social distancing measures, inmates across the state would receive their meals in their cells or individual housing units, and while time will still be allowed in the yard, fewer inmates will be released at a time to allow more space between them. Showers and phones will also be cleaned after each use, the department said.
The department also said it is trying to prevent the virus from entering from the outside by requiring staff and visitors to undergo temperature checks before entering any of the department's facilities. They are also required to disclose any symptoms they have experienced, CDCR spokeswoman Dana Simas told CNN.
"Those who attempt to enter a state prison or office building at any time must respond verbally if they currently have new or worsening symptoms of a respiratory illness," said Simas. "If the individual's response is that they are experiencing symptoms, they will be restricted from entering the site that day."
More than 1,000 inmates released
To help slow the further spread of the virus and create more spaces for those who need to be quarantined or isolated, the department announced last week that it could release up to 3,500 inmates.
Inmates eligible for release are those who have 60 days or less of prison remaining and are not serving time for violent, sexual or domestic violence offenses.
By April 7, the Department had released about 1,300 people, Simas said. CDCR said it expected to have released 3,442 inmates by Monday.
Those who could be released will be evaluated for medical and health problems to ensure they can be placed in a community, reported CNN affiliate KCRA.
"We are also focusing on transferring inmates from dormitory environments and making creative use of vacant space within some institutions to accommodate inmates in places where we can increase physical distance," Simas told CNN.
About 500 inmates in overcrowded units will be transferred to areas such as gyms and unoccupied homes, the affiliate reported.
- CNN's Jenn Selva contributed to this report.
