CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Virginia Department of Corrections reports 260 offenders and 15 staff members at St. Brides Correctional Center in Chesapeake have tested positive for COVID-19. It's the largest active coronavirus outbreak among VADOC facilities.
"Something needs to change before more people lose their lives," said Turkesa Albertini, the fiance of St. Brides inmate Herman Riddick. "I'm just in fear for him and everyone else."
The 260 inmates who tested positive represent close to a quarter of all inmates at St. Brides Correctional Center.
Riddick, who has not contracted the virus, said it's impossible for him to stay socially distant and he prays each day for some kind of relief.
"It's beyond our control, it's like we're sitting ducks," Riddick said. "I keep asking God to keep everybody safe and to protect us."
In a statement, the Virginia Department of Corrections said it’s following an extensive sanitation plan, grouping together inmates who test positive to try and isolate the virus, and treating symptoms as they appear.
Albertini said she and other family members believe the facility isn't big enough to contain an outbreak of this scale.
“They don’t have enough room, basically, to keep [all positive inmates] in one place," she said. “It scares me because it’s just a matter of time before more people get it or somebody else dies.”
VADOC reports 13 offenders have died of COVID-19 inside state facilities this year. St. Brides Correctional Center reports zero deaths.
The department does have an early release policy – designed to clear up space and release nonviolent offenders to help prevent the spread of the virus.
As of Monday, 382 people had been released from VADOC facilities since April.
“They need to release more people," Albertini said. "I don’t want anyone else to suffer."