NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio has agreed to release inmates with health risks and low-level offenders at Rikers Island after both a prisoner and a corrections officer tested positive for coronavirus.
"We will identify any inmates who we think need to be brought out, either because of their own health conditions, if they have any pre-existing conditions, or because the charges were minor and we think it's appropriate to bring them out in this context." de Blasio said.
Overall, the mayor says arrests are down, but the NYPD is still protecting the city.
"If they need to arrest someone, there's a very specific protocol on how to do it and how to keep everyone involved safe," de Blasio said.
In a virtual press conference on Wednesday, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council Member Brad Lander called for a halt in "broken window" arrests, or non-violent victimless offenses, and for the release of most inmates over the age of 50.
So far, de Blasio hasn't promised to go that far, but he says that he's monitoring the situation.
"We've got to balance here public safety with the very real concern about health in the jails, so that's something we're going to be looking at every single day," the mayor said.
For their part, the correction officers' union has asked for better protective gear, and for new detainees to be taken to other facilities instead of Rikers.