NYC Mayor Might Release Jail Detainees At Risk For Coronavirus

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio is considering releasing detainees at high risk of contracting novel coronavirus after the city's oversight board issued a strong recommendation Tuesday.

The New York City Board of Correction joined a cacophony of voices Tuesday calling on the city to protect inmates from the spreading pandemic, which has already claimed 12 lives and spread to more than 1,300 people in New York State.

"The City must drastically reduce the number of people in jail right now and limit new admissions to exceptional circumstances," the board's recommendation reads. "The City must begin this process now."

The Board recommended releasing people over the age of 50, with underlying health conditions, with less than one-year sentences and those detained for parole violations.

A Mayor's Office spokesperson said in an email, "We are actively looking into the possibility of removing high-risk detainees from our city jails."

The Mayor is scheduled to address the press at 1 p.m. and will likely address the issue then.

This plea to Mayor Bill de Blasio comes the day after his announcement that a Department of Corrections worker died from novel coronavirus.