Thread on #covidbehindbars: [1] You know those super-spreader sites, like that Westchester dinner party, that LA choir rehearsal, that Boston conference, the Diamond Princess? EVERY prison and jail in America is a super-spreader site. Yet little is being done ....

[2] And that should alarm you even if, like many Americans, you don't normally think much about the welfare of the more than two million of your fellow citizens who are behind bars. Maybe you think they deserve whatever they get. But here's why their situation now threatens YOU:

[3] Prisons and jails are not isolated from the outside world. Hundreds of thousands of staff go in and out daily. And tens of thousands are released every day too, especially from jails, where people often stay just a few days. ....

[4] So that means it is super easy for #COVID19 to get IN to a prison or jail...and once it is in, there will be hundreds of people leaving each facility every day who can take it out. Back to their families and their communities. That's why these are super-spreader sites....

[5] But they're actually worse than other such sites, because it is so impossible to carry out social distancing there, or even maintain basic hygiene. Facilities are crowded; staff escort prisons everywhere; people are double- or triple-bunked; showers, dining halls, etc....

[6] and it's hard for prisoners even to clean their hands--hand sanitizer is banned due to alcohol content, and soap often must be paid for by the prisoners, who have no money....

[7] So once it's there, COVID will spread like wildfire. And it has: Cook County Jail went from 2 cases to 89 in 4 days. Rikers is now over 200 cases. This is going to happen EVERYWHERE. Every county has a jail, and many have prisons too. It threatens every community.....

[8] And prison and jails don't have nearly the medical facilities they would need to keep up with this. Many have lots of elderly people, and as we know even young people can need ventilators (and can spread the virus). So inmates will soon overwhelm nearby community hospitals...

[9] which will also be dealing with the additional cases that have been caused by the community spread FROM the prisons/jails too. Even if you don't care about prisoners, people you love may be competing with them for ventilators....

[10] The only solution is to stop putting new people in jail/prison right now (delay sentencestill after crisis and don't jail ANYONE for failure to pay bail) and release everyone we reasonably can--use home confinement instead, keeping community safe both from crime AND Covid...

[11] Please call/write your Governor today and ask for this to be ordered using emergency powers. Also, PLEASE retweet & use your own Twitter and other connections to sound this alarm. I may be preaching mostly to the choir here, but together all our voices might be able to help.