Video transcript of BOP Director Michael Carvajal’s message to prison staff (April 10, 2020)

Hello Everyone. I hope you and your family are well.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to require a fluid response as guidance from the World Health Organization and
the Centers for Disease Control evolves. We will continue to make operational adjustments to our agency-wide
response as needed. I thank each of you for your continued dedication to completing our mission and your
outstanding efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID in our institutions and communities.

I intend to do a weekly video message to update everyone on what we are doing and why. I will discuss hot topics
and attempt to dispel any rumors and false information that may be spreading either in our facilities or due to
misrepresentations of BOP operations in the public. For instance, let me assure you, we have a sufficient quantity of
personal protective equipment. Please follow procedures and be responsible in how and when we use it, we are
monitoring the inventory closely. As I mentioned in my last video, one of the provisions in the CARES Act directs
the Department of Health and Human Services to consider the BOP a priority for the distribution of PPE and
COVID-19 test kits. While the supply is still limited, it will assist in diagnostic purposes when a need to test
widespread transmission quickly exists. I am happy to say, we have been given access to both test kits and other hard-
to-acquire items such as ventilators and medication and we are working to incorporate the use of these new supplies
into our COVID response.

Our contracting staff are making purchases daily to ensure we maintain our inventories. I must recognize UNICOR
and their on-going efforts to help out during this crisis. The number of UNICOR operations helping with the COVID
response is increasing daily. There are currently 10 factories producing cloth face masks, and by next week, nine
more will be opened. Some of the factories are producing masks for the federal government and some are producing
them for us – both for staff and inmates. UNICOR also has two factories making non-surgical gowns, and another
making emergency blankets, towels and linens. We have a factory bottling hand sanitizer and two others are
producing units of emergency water and milk. Way to go UNICOR and thank you to the staff and local institutions
for facilitating these efforts!

I want to clearly explain why we are now issuing face masks, when we weren’t before. The BOP has been following
distinct guidance put out by the CDC. On April 4th, the CDC amended its guidance regarding the use of face masks
and began encouraging all persons to use masks in public. In turn, we amended our response and began issuing masks
to all institution staff and fit-testing for use of N-95 masks, as appropriate. I am sure you all are well aware that more
than 35 of our institutions nationwide have been directly affected by COVID-19. Over 299 inmates have confirmed
lab results indicating positive tests and sadly, we have had 9 inmate deaths attributed to COVID-19. In addition, over
125 staff have lab confirmed positive test results for COVID-19.

Recognizing that now more than 30% of our federal prisons are currently affected, we must keep all of our brothers
and sisters in our thoughts and prayers. There are some locations more significantly impacted, unfortunately
institutions such as Oakdale, Elkton, Danbury, Lompoc, Butner, Yazoo City, Forrest City, and Milan are “hotspots”
for COVID-19 and they need all of the support we can provide them. For example, there are approximately 1,300
secondary LEO's in the Bureau and as this pandemic continues, they will be deployed to assist in locations
experiencing staff shortages, the number of which will likely increase in the coming weeks. We have already
deployed 45 secondary law enforcement staff from BOP Headquarters, Regional Offices, Staff Training Centers and
the Grand Prairie Complex, to field locations and are ready to deploy more, when needed. Additionally, a BOP
Medical Asset Support Team, MAST, has been deployed to Oakdale to assist with clinical, administrative and
technical support within Health Services.

The COVID pandemic is creating unique challenges for some facilities, including impacting the health care delivery
systems in their surrounding communities. Therefore, we invited the CDC to provide assistance and expertise to
review the BOP’s response and strategies with regard to COVID. The CDC has accepted our invitation and made a
site visit to FCC Forrest City, and engaged with staff at FCC Oakdale, along with other public health officials in order
to assess ways of reducing transmission and managing inmates in quarantine and isolation. Notably, after the
engagement with FDC Oakdale, the CDC indicated that the BOP was implementing all the strategies that they would
have recommended. Even though the BOP is applying the guidance provided by the CDC, additional expertise from
on-site visits by CDC staff experienced with infectious disease management in a correctional environment will be
very helpful.

You may have also heard the Army Corp of Engineers and the Ohio National Guard were deployed to FCI Elkton.
Given the surge in positive cases in Columbiana County, Ohio and the growing number of quarantine, isolation and
positive cases at FCI Elkton, the Health Commissioner of the Columbiana County Health District, working with the
Warden and his staff, assisted in coordinating these additional medical resources for FCI Elkton. It is perfectly
acceptable and the “the right thing to do,” for us to accept assistance when needed. The BOP’s efforts in responding to
COVID depend on our coordination and relationship with our community partners.

We entered into an Intergovernmental Agency Agreement with Ohio and will pay for all equipment, services and
personnel used during this crisis. Thirty-two medical care providers including physicians, mid-level providers,
medics, phlebotomists, and radiology technicians will utilize an in-patient bridge unit that will provide lab testing,
portable x-rays, and in-patient care to inmates on-site, without taking them into the community, which alleviates
pressure on the community hospitals’ available bed space. We deeply appreciate the assistance of the Army Corp of
Engineers and the Ohio National Guard. Directly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional authorities
granted to the BOP have allowed us to increase home confinement by over 40%.

We are continuing to aggressively screen all inmates who have COVID-19 risk factors, as described by the CDC,
starting with the inmates at Oakdale, Danbury, Elkton and similarly-situated facilities. Case management staff are
urgently reviewing all inmates to determine which ones meet the criteria established by the Attorney General. Since
Attorney General Barr’s March 26th memo instructing us to prioritize home confinement as an appropriate response
to the COVID pandemic, the BOP has placed an additional 886 inmates on home confinement.

We continue to work with the US Marshals Service to reduce the amount of external inmate movement required. I
want to stress, that compared to normal times, we have reduced inmate movement by more than 80% by eliminating
discretionary movement, but we cannot eliminate movement 100%. There will always be legally-mandated reasons
we have to move SOME inmates. I also feel obligated, because of the confusion of people who don’t always know or
understand the facts, to remind you we are statutorily charged with the care and custody of all sentenced inmates, as
well as pre-trial inmates ordered by a judge to be detained. As long as the federal courts continue to remand pre-trial
inmates to custody and continue to sentence inmates, we are required to process and accept them into the BOP.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act went into effect on April 1st. This Act allows up to 80 hours of sick
leave for federal employees to use for COVID-19 - related absences. The specific qualifying reasons, as well as the
time frames to use this leave, will be available on Sallyport, but I hope that this additional leave will ease any
concerns with not having sufficient leave that may be needed to comply with quarantines or experiencing symptoms
related to the Coronavirus. Once again, I ask each of you to remain calm, this is what we do.

On a normal day, we often deal with situations that make most people cringe, but I understand battling the invisible
and unknown can be frightful. I feel just like most of you…but I also have faith in our team and hope you do as well.

Please practice the universal precautions; Wash your hands, avoid touching your face, sneeze or cough into your
elbow, frequently disinfect areas around you, and use social distancing when possible and wear a face mask when it is
not. Encourage and remind the inmates to do the same; these preventative measures work!

While as an agency, the BOP continues to appreciate the support and assistance of the Attorney General and
Department of Justice, the CDC, the Public Health Service, and our state and local community partners, it is YOU,
the staff of this agency, that are carrying out our mission in spite of the difficult conditions of this public emergency.
Your dedication to keeping your fellow staff, inmates, families and the general public safe during this evolving global
emergency while being law enforcement professionals on the front lines is a true testament to what being a
corrections professional is all about.

Please do your very best to stay healthy. We will get through this together. Together we are stronger; together we are
making the difference. Thank you.