WASHINGTON – When a federal correction officer geared up for duty recently at a Florida prison complex, he added an N95 mask amid coronavirus fears.
He has a sister who had an organ transplant and an elderly mother at home. But a supervisor ordered him to take it off and threatened disciplinary action if he refused.
At other federal prisons, though, he would have been told to wear one. Rules on protective gear vary widely from prison to prison.
And inmates say there is little guidance on what to do if they experience flu-like symptoms and very little social distancing.