Miami-Dade jails get 5,240 donated masks to help curb spread of the coronavirus

With officers and inmates ordered to cover their faces to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Miami-Dade jail system — short on protective gear like many places — has received more than 5,200 donated masks.

The donations are a small, but welcome addition as governments across the United States struggle to find stocks of masks to protect their workers. Jail and prison officers are particularly vulnerable because they work in cramped quarters that make social distancing often impossible.

The separate donations were made by Ryan Shapiro, the former CEO of J-Pay, a Miramar company that handles money and email accounts for inmates across the nation, and Al Eskanazy, the co-chair of the Greater Miami-Miami Beach Police Foundation.

Shapiro, who now runs a private investment fund, said he has managed to secure close to 50,000 masks for various correctional facilities across the country. “These are the guys on the front lines and no one else is really paying attention,” Shapiro said.

Other correctional institutions across the country have received mask donations, particularly in hard-hit regions such as California and New York. Rappers Jay-Z and Meek Mill, through a foundation for criminal-justice reform, donated 100,00 masks to facilities in New York, Tennessee and Mississippi.

Government agencies across South Florida, and the United States, have increasingly begun to mandate or recommend people wear masks in public. Along with social distancing, health officials hope an increase in the use of masks will help curb the transmission of the highly infectious respiratory virus.

The City of Miami this week mandated that everyone inside grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores wear masks or face coverings. Miami Beach issued a similar order that went into effect on Tuesday.

But masks, particularly the N95 ones that are considered the most effective against viruses, have been in short supply, even at hospitals where COVID-19 inmates are being treated. The demand has led to a dizzying global marketplace, with companies, states and countries competing with each other for stockpiles — and some fall victim to price gougers and scammers.

The Miami-Dade Corrections system has said it has supplies of masks and gloves, but has asked officers to ration their use.

On Friday, the department ordered officers and inmates to wear masks around other people. On Tuesday, a federal judge also ordered Miami-Dade jails to make officers wear masks, and provide individual supplies of soap to inmates, something the department said it was already doing.

Several officers have complained that they are only allowed to get a new mask once a week. One officer at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center said she began fabricating her own masks — she showed a reporter a mask fashioned from a bikini top.

At least 15 corrections employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. No inmates have tested positive, although officials acknowledge only two have been tested.

Corrections Director Daniel Junior, in a statement, said the department is “appreciative and grateful” for the donations.

“Although we have supplies on hand, it is so very refreshing to see the community come together to support our department’s efforts and the efforts of our other fellow law enforcement and medical personnel during these uncertain times,” Junior said.

This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Miami-Dade jails get 5,240 donated masks to help curb spread of the coronavirus."