By Harve Jacobs | April 6, 2020 at 6:39 PM EDT - Updated April 6 at 8:22 PM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - An inmate at the Charleston County jail who tested positive for the coronavirus was released Monday afternoon.
Sheriff Al Cannon said a judge determined the inmate was stable enough to be released.
Cannon said the inmate was given a mask and further instructions.
Two other inmates who were released Monday are worried about the others inside the jail.
“This could be crazy if an inmate dies due to coronavirus. Some people can live through it, some cannot,” Anthony Samuel said.
Just released inmate Devaughn Gorham says many inmates are not following the CDC guidelines.
“To see that they’re not literally washing their hands, and we just ate lunch and nobody washed their hands,” Gorham said.
Sheriff Cannon says the inmates at the jail are being urged to wash their hands and are in good hands.
He says 35 inmates who were in the infected unit with the inmate who has the virus are in isolation.
Cannon says no inmates can be released early due to the pandemic unless a judge gives the order.
“The sheriff doesn’t control the front door or the back door,” Cannon said.
The two just released inmates say all inmates should be provided with masks.
Cannon is not ruling out the possibility.
“It is a rapidly evolving situation and the more we learn and the more we have, there’s a potential we’ll make decisions, make changes in the positions we’ve taken thus far,” the sheriff said.
Devaughn and Samuel hope something is done soon.
“Most definitely, but I also think we should really push the agenda of being clean like that’s the ultimate step to this situation,” Devaughn said.
The sheriff says the infected area at the jail has been cleaned and that the entire building will be cleaned in the next two weeks.
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