Woman with COVID-19 being temporarily released from ComCor

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A woman who tested positive for the virus at a Colorado Springs ComCor facility has been released by a judge who agreed she was not receiving adequate care after testing positive for COVID-19.

ComCor inmate Dana Lujan claims that she wasn’t immediately put in isolation and that other safety guidelines weren’t followed inside ComCor. The motion filed by her attorney also claims she was given a single dose of Tylenol and has been limited to chips and tap water.

ComCor released a response to KRDO Friday afternoon refuting those claims. A spokesperson also said that all clients at the location on N. Nevada Ave are currently in quarantine. Read the full response here.

The residents at the ComCor facility at 3950 N. Nevada are mostly non-violent criminals who were sent to the program as an alternative to jail.

Most of them work in the community as part of the program, holding jobs that are at essential businesses like restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations.

The nearly 90 people who live at the N. Nevada facility were ordered to not leave as of Wednesday.

Lujan tells KRDO she found out she had COVID-19 on Wednesday morning following a trip to the emergency room on Sunday night.

Lujan was ordered to sit outside the facility for nearly three hours on Wednesday morning as ComCor staff scrambled to figure out what to do with her after she tested positive for the virus.

"After a while, they went and got me a chair," she said. "They did bring me water and whatnot. But I mean, I was still feeling pretty ill to be sitting outside."

Pictures Lujan took and sent KRDO show the isolation room where staff later put her on Wednesday.

Those who are in the ComCor program live in tight quarters and sleep on bunk beds in small rooms.

Several inmates, KRDO spoke with including Lujan, told us it's impossible to practice social distancing at ComCor facilities because of the way it's designed.

Many of the inmates believe the lack of preparation falls on the shoulders of the state and county government. Several told us they are appreciative of the staff at ComCor for taking care of them during this uncertain time.

Dana’s attorney Josh Tolini told KRDO much of the focus was on reducing the jail population, but programs like ComCor were left out of the equation.

"And nobody really thought about ComCor until now this has hit," Tolini said. "And we realize this is kind of an area of people that we represent that nobody really thought about until up until now."

Lujan says she feels like a test case. However, she remains hopeful that her experience can help someone else.

"Be cautious. You don't know if you have it," she said. "Take every precaution you can to not only keep yourself and everybody else safe. "

The El Paso County Health Department said it provided masks, thermometers, and gowns to ComCor while helping to clean the facility.

Health officials are also working with ComCor on identifying any locations where Lujan may have been while infectious.

The health department also said it reviewed ComCor's policies and provided additional guidance specific to preventing further spread of COVID-19.

Lujan will remain at a relative's home on medical furlough for 30 days.