MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — An official with the union representing federal prison workers says an inmate transferred to the federal prison near Glenville has tested positive for COVID-19.
“They just bused inmates into Gilmer County two or three days ago and yesterday (Friday) one of them tested positive for COVID even though the Federal Bureau of Prisons says they were screening the people for COVID,” said Dan Doyle, National Vice President of the American Federation of Government Employees told WAJR News. “Obviously they’re not doing adequate testing.”
Doyle joined about 75 members of the union and supporters on an informational picket line in Morgantown Saturday afternoon. They are upset that the BOP chose 10 prisons, including FCI Gilmer and FCI Hazelton, as quarantine sites for new federal inmates before they are placed into the general population.
The Gilmer County Health Department has confirmed one federal inmate at FCI Gilmer has tested positive for COVID-19, but officials would not confirm that the prisoner was part of the group of 124 prisoners recently transferred there.
State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who visited the protest Saturday, told the guards and supporters that he was disappointed that 1,000 COVID-19 tests were allocated to members of the U.S. Senate by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
In a tweet Friday Azar said,”Good news: as the Senate reconvenes to do important work for the American people during this public health crisis, we have now received an initial request and are sending 3 Abbott point of care testing machines and 1,000 tests for their use.”
“If it’s good enough for the U.S. Senate to get tested, it should be good enough for all of our heroes on the front lines, our first responders, prison guards and nurses,” Morrisey said.
Doyle said the plan to transfer the inmates will continue, according to federal officials.
“The plan from the federal Bureau of Prisons is to continue to bus inmate into Hazelton unless we can stop them,” Doyle said.
Preston County Commission President Samantha Stone said this is a moment to take a stand for all facilities across the country.
“This just isn’t to save Preston County or West Virginia, this is to implement something that the federal Bureau of Prisons is mandated to test people regardless of what pandemic or disease is flying around,” Stone said. “And not transport people that have issues going on until they get better.”
Morrisey and Stone said they will not stop fighting the transfer of federal inmates into West Virginia.
“I’m hopeful that folks are going to think the individuals in Preston County, Gilmer County and Monongalia County are just as important as the folks in the U.S. Senate,” Morrisey said.\
West Virginia U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito came out last week against the transfer. Manchin wrote a letter U. S. Attorney William Barr calling for him to stop it.
Gov. Jim Justice has also spoken with authorities. He said he would continue to do so but said not much progress had been made.
MetroNews has requested comment from the FOP on the COVID-19 case at FCI Gilmer.