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Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix on Tuesday called for New York to release some prison inmates, in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The "Joker" star shared his thoughts in a tweet released by the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. Phoenix called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, to take action immediately.
"A message from Oscar award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix," the tweet began.
"I’m calling on @NYGovCuomo to take action in New York by granting clemency to New Yorkers in prison. The lives of so many people depend on his action. No one deserves to die in prison from COVID-19.”
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"The spread of coronavirus in prisons threatens the health and safety of all of us," he said earlier in the video.
"When you're incarcerated there's no such thing as social distancing and ensuring good hygiene is not an option. Leaders must do everything possible to prevent incarcerated people and those who work in prisons from becoming ill and spreading the virus," the actor added.
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As of Tuesday, there have been nearly 600,000 cases of the coronavirus in the United States and just over 25,000 deaths.
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