Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling on the governor to provide personal protection equipment (PPE) to corrections officers working in state prisons. Corrections officers, due to the close work done with individuals in the prison population, are in need of N95 masks, gloves and disposable smocks.

“Our corrections officers in our state prisons, many of whom live in my Assembly District, are putting their health at risk by not having proper equipment to protect them. The work of our corrections officers is, by nature, close and intimate with people, which we know the COVID-19 virus easily exploits,” said Friend. “This virus is extremely virulent and contagious; it poses a great threat to officers and those who are incarcerated. We can no longer ignore this great need in our state prisons. Governor, please, properly equip our officers.”

It was reported today by NPR that 109 employees in New York prisons have been diagnosed with COVID-19, with another 19 inmates testing positive with the virus.