Ivette Feliciano said her son, who is incarcerated, Cornell Dotson, called her Friday from the John E Goode Pretrial Detention Center to tell her he tested positive for COVID-19.
"I'm just worried about him and I want them to help him," Feliciano said. "His life does matter. His life matters."
According to Sheriff Mike Williams, at least 20 inmates at Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Department of Corrections facilities have tested positive for the virus. He said inmates and employees Friday were exposed to a contract employee who tested positive. Those inmates were quarantined and tested. Impacted employees either self-monitored or were tested.
While Feliciano said her son had a fever and body aches, Williams said most inmates who tested positive are asymptomatic.
"Don't let them just sit in their cell and get worse and worse. Help him now. Help them now, not only my son but everyone who is sick. Help them," Feliciano said.
Feliciano was able to speak with her son Sunday night, the first time since he told her he tested positive. He told her he was seen by a doctor, his temperature was being monitored, he has to wear a mask and all of the inmates who tested positive in the facility are quarantined.
He also told her 17 of the 20 inmates who tested positive are at John E Goode, but JSO hasn't confirmed that. First Coast News asked at what facilities the positive cases were at and haven't heard back.
"It's going to be hard for me to sleep until I hear from him again," Gal Williams said.
Williams' brother, Sherwood Bostic, is incarcerated too.
He mailed her a letter the other day that said, "I'm dealing with this COVID virus that's going around."
He didn't specify, however, if he tested positive.
Williams said her brother is incarcerated at a different facility than Dotson, but she hasn't heard anything about the virus from employees there.
Both Williams and Feliciano said they want JSO to communicate more with the inmates' families about the virus.
“It’s scary not knowing exactly what’s going on. Those are still our loved ones even though some of them did do some wrong things," Williams said. "They’re still our loved ones. We still love them. We still care about them. They are important to us," she said.
JSO said the Florida Department of Health is planning to test everyone inside the jail as soon as possible but didn't give a date. It also said all arrested inmates now will be tested upon entry, or quarantined for two weeks if they refuse the test. First Coast News asked JSO specifically how many employees have tested positive and haven't heard back.