Rep. Ayanna Pressley condemned New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for using prison laborers to produce hand sanitizers to combat the coronavirus.
Cuomo announced on Monday that the state would be producing its own brand of hand sanitizers to increase New York’s supply while the spread of the coronavirus drives shortages of the product. The sanitizers will be made in Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Washington County, New York.
In a tweet posted after the announcement was made, Pressley condemned the use of prison labor to make the sanitizer. The Massachusetts Democrat tweeted, “Wow. Considering that many incarcerated men & women are subjected to inhumane conditions, including no hand soap, & hand sanitizer is banned in most prisons, this is especially demeaning, ironic & exploitive.”
Wow. Considering that many incarcerated men & women are subjected to inhumane conditions, including no hand soap, & hand sanitizer is banned in most prisons, this is especially demeaning, ironic & exploitive. https://t.co/LnYHP0QbFb
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) March 9, 2020
The hand sanitizer, which is called NYS Clean and carries a “floral bouquet” scent, will not be sold to the public and will only be used in schools, subway stations, and government buildings to ensure that those high-traffic facilities have access to the product. Cuomo claimed the product contains 75% alcohol, which is a higher concentration than most sanitizers, including Purell, which is 70% alcohol.
Things got a little weird at @NYGovCuomo‘s coronavirus press conference. pic.twitter.com/WGYaKELONH
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 9, 2020
“We are problem solvers,” Cuomo explained. “And there is price gouging on hand sanitizer and a high demand for hand sanitizer. What do you do? Make your own hand sanitizer? Can you do that?”
The ethics of prison labor have been long debated. While some believe that work in prisons could give prisoners purpose and training for after they are released, others have argued that it is exploitative because of low wages. In New York, prisoners earn an average of 52 cents per hour.
The state will begin producing the hand sanitizer at a rate of around 100,000 gallons a day. More than 100 New Yorkers have confirmed cases of COVID-19. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged workers to try to work from home, and Cuomo declared a state of emergency because of the disease on Saturday.
