You may have heard about the new Close Contact guidelines published by the CDC. Instead of 15 consecutive minutes within 6 feet of an infected person, it's now 15 minutes total in 24 hours. And here's the reason why. [washingtonpost.com]

The guidance about transmission of the coronavirus, which causes covid-19, had been discussed by CDC scientists for several weeks, according to a CDC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share policy discussions. Then came unsettling new evidence in a report published Wednesday. CDC and Vermont health officials discovered the virus was contracted by a 20-year-old prison employee who in an eight-hour shift had 22 interactions — for a total of over 17 minutes — with individuals who later tested positive for the virus.

At the Vermont prison, the correctional worker had multiple brief encounters on July 28 with six prisoners while their coronavirus test results were pending. The next day, all six individuals tested positive. The Vermont health and correction authorities conducted a contact tracing investigation and determined the officer did not meet the definition of a close contact, and he continued to work.
But a week later, the employee had symptoms of covid-19, including loss of smell and taste, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath, and loss of appetite. He got tested the next day and on Aug. 11 found out he was positive.

The officer wore a cloth mask, gown and eye protection during all of the interactions. The infected individuals wore masks during most interactions with him. However, they were not masked during several that took place in a cell doorway and a prison recreation room, the report said.

This basically describes my typical day at work; with the difference that instead of 6 individuals, I'm interacting with 240. And while I may not have close interaction with all, or even most, on any given day I have extended interactions with 10 to 30 different individuals, and incidental interactions with 60 or 70 more just by virtue of making rounds in the housing unit. The hallways are 10 feet wide. Tables in the activity rooms are 2 feet apart. It's not physically possible to stay 6 feet away from other people and still do my job. And if I had a nickel for every time I reminded someone to put his mask on, I'd take home an extra $25 a week.

That's not even mentioning my fellow staff, who really should know better, but sit talking to prisoners with their own masks off their noses or even off completely. So if one of them is exposed, they're a link in a chain to exposing me. That's why I try to stay away from everyone, staff and prisoners alike.

I've had to wrestle with two different prisoners this week, both overdosing on hallucinogenics and neither one with a mask on. Both took multiple officers to get under control. Both incidents had prisoner and staff up in each other's faces for an extended time.

At the end of the day, all I can do is know I've done everything I can to be safe. But damn, it worries me.