. I didn’t really know her, but she seemed really pleasant. The tutors that were kept to run the Horticulture program thanked her for taking the responsibility of overseeing what was left of the program. The school principal, like many of the managers in the MDOC, acted perfunctorily when informing me of her passing from covid-19. It did not surprise me. He had manipulated his peers to keep him at one prison even though he was assigned here. At the time of his reassignment we had over 200 inmates with active covid cases. The numbers of active covid cases were he stayed was less than 50 at the time. That reasoning would prove futile as the disease progressed and spread throughout all the prisons over time. The administration however would work from home! The teachers, (who were always told they were non essential during budget short-falls and would be the first to be laid off) were now essential employees. They would be used where ever they were needed and reported to custody staff.
.As the disease progressed, protective equipment like masks and gloves were in short supply. Hand sanitizer’s were being brought from home. The drugstores and supper markets ran out of all disinfecting supplies. The inmate porters responsible for cleaning began using the only chemical that wasn’t in short supply and that was bleach. The prison began to smell like an over chlorinated swimming pool. The smell of the bleach was not a deterrent for the disease, it spread rapidly, and the school was closed in the process. I had just returned to work after spending three months on medical leave for open heart surgery, and not having personal protective equipment to wear during this pandemic didn’t sit well with me. The school principal put me in touch with the department manager who was as useless as tits on a bull. She was being paid to sit at home . I was assigned to take temperatures of the staff coming in to work. I asked her where was the “protective equipment?” She gave no answer.
.I let her know of another employee passing away from covid, and many more who were denied entry into the prison because they had fevers over 100 degrees. Still no response. My final question was “why was I being required to be here when the school is now closed?” Her answer was generic but basically stated the teachers were determined to be “essential employees.” Even though the school was closed, we were to help where ever we were needed. Our direct report was now the prison warden. Okie dokie…I had open heart surgery in 2018 and my doctor advised me I was at risk working here without personal protective equipment like masks, and gloves. Those catching the disease were dying. I don’t think our manager (who was being paid to work from home) cared one iota about us at this point in time. She was safe. It became an easy decision for me. I went on medical leave with the approval of my cardiologist. Some of my colleagues followed the same course. I couldn’t blame them. We were all in unchartered waters, and the death toll kept rising. ……Prison Stories To Be Continued…. REVELATION 7: 9-12
MJ-Way 