Kelly Rowland Donates 70,000 Masks to REFORM Alliance for COVID-19 Relief in Prisons

The REFORM Alliance has announced a 70,000 mask donation from Kelly Rowland. The personal protective equipment will be delivered to prison and jail facilities in Harris County, Texas and Fulton County, Georgia. The PPE will protect the incarcerated population, correctional officers, healthcare workers, and personnel from COVID-19 exposure. 

“We’re grateful to Kelly for her generosity and care for our incarcerated population,” REFORM Alliance CEO Van Jones said. “As our country shifts its attention to re-opening, we can’t forget about the millions of people that remain incarcerated and that continue to struggle with the devastating threat of COVID-19. Kelly’s donation is crucial in helping REFORM deliver PPE to every prison and jail across America.”

By mid-May, over 1,000 incarcerated people and jail staff in the Harris County Jail contracted COVID-19. The infection rate was one of the highest for jails in the United States, The Houston Chronicle. 1,300 cases remained in jail as of last week, however, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has attempted to depopulate the jail to help reduce the spread of the virus.

Currently, 37 cases of COVID-19 have been reported at Atlanta’s Fulton County jail, which has an incarcerated population of 2,600. 55 percent of people admitted to prison in Georgia are there for probation violations.

The donation from Rowland is a month after Twitter/Square CEO Jack Dorsey donated over 10 million masks to 50 states across the United States.