Dear Friends, For the 40 detainees who remain at the Guantanamo prison, their poor health, increasing age, and the declining capacity of the medical infrastructure there places them at considerable risk from COVID-19. Of particular concern is that someone requiring specialized treatment from complications arising from a COVID-19 infection may need to be transferred to a U.S. medical facility to receive adequate treatment, and such transfers are currently banned under U.S. law. Service members based at Guantanamo are also at increased risk due to the restricted size of the base and limited medical care available. Senator Elizabeth Warren is currently gathering signatures from other Senators for a joint letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper encouraging him to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at Guantanamo. You can help by calling your Senators and asking them to sign. You can reach your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking to speak with both of them in turn. You can say something like: "Hello, I'm ___________ from _________. I'm calling to ask the Senator to join Senator Warren's letter encouraging the Department of Defense to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at Guantanamo. Both detainees and service members are at risk if the virus begins to spread there." The deadline for your Senators to sign onto this letter is the close of business on Thursday, May 14. Please call today! Thank you for taking time to help protect the health of those still being held at Guantanamo. Sincerely, Matt Hawthorne
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