Re “3 inmates, 2 staffers at city jail test positive for COVID-19, numbers higher in Henrico,” Free Press July 23-25 edition:

I am writing to express my concern and worst fear for my fiancé who is an innate at the Richmond Justice Center. I do not want his sentence to be a death sentence.

As of July 30, it was reported that 12 inmates and five staff members were quarantined after testing positive for the coronavirus and that necessary precautions are occurring, including wearing masks, increased cleaning and social distancing when possible.

According to my fiancé, little has been done to safeguard inmates from the spread of COVID-19. To date, he has only been given a mask — no gloves, soap, water, bleach or Lysol wipes. The center has offered testing to inmates within the last two to three weeks, which he did take.

He has a heart murmur and severe asthma, which put him at a higher risk of getting sick from COVID-19. He has been experiencing headaches and issues with his sight. When going to medical, no treatment or medical care was given that will assist him with these issues.

Per the nation’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 affects the respiratory tract (nose, throat, lungs), which can cause an asthma attack and possibly lead to pneumonia and acute respiratory

disease. Because there is no current treatment or vaccine to prevent COVID-19, he is at risk. His asthma makes him particularly susceptible to COVID-19 because of being in close contact with others that’s inherent in jails and prisons today.

Because of the inmate population, social distance practices are hard to establish and maintain in prison. Inmates such as my financé, who meet requirements of the Virginia COVID-19 Response Inmate early Release Plan should be released to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

JOI BROWN

Charles County, Md.