Los Angeles county prisoners are being released from jail back into the community without being tested for whether they have the coronavirus.

No Coronavirus Tests For Released Prisoners

An official from the Los Angeles County Office of Diversion and Reentry told the LA Times that prisoners are not being tested for the coronavirus when they leave prison, despite fears of the virus spreading in a confined space being the number one reason why these prisoners are being released in the first place:

“We slowed our work down in court and shifted our resources to address the number of people released from jail,” said Peter Espinoza, a retired Superior Court judge who now heads the office. Espinoza said they added 211 beds in new housing sites, and found housing for more than 170 inmates in a two-week period. He said inmates in L.A. County generally are not being tested for COVID-19 before their release unless they show symptoms and many service providers now are checking for symptoms when they arrive.

This is especially dangerous, given the fact that many carriers of the coronavirus are asymptomatic and don’t show any signs that they are carrying the disease.

Dangerous, Irresponsible Moves!

Not only is this the case, but when testing is done, it seems to be massively inadequate. The article in question refers to the case of Frank Cooper. Cooper was released from Riverside County jail on April 24th after his bunk was subject to quarantine, instead of November when he was scheduled to be let out. Cooper was concerned that after he was tested, as he had not received his results, so he and his wife decided he should get tested privately. The results came back from the private test on May 2nd, a week after being released from jail – he tested positive. At the time of writing, Cooper has still not received his results from the state’s test.

This is a huge red flag, not only for Los Angeles County, but for the rest of the country. If prisoners, who have been locked up in a breeding ground for coronavirus (with some deliberately catching it to get out early), are then being released without being tested, all the lockdown and quarantine will have been for absolutely nothing. We can’t throw away the incredible sacrifices of the American people and everyone around the globe by being completely irresponsible now!

Everyone involved in this should be absolutely ashamed, especially when they’re punishing the citizens of this nation who’ve stuck to the guidelines, such as the restrictions on purchasing firerarms and ammunition. Law-abiding citizens now deserve to have restrictions lifted, and not be sent back to square one.

This piece originally appeared in ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.

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