One week to the day after witnessing the federal execution of Corey Johnson late on Jan. 14, I received a notification that I tested positive for COVID-19. (The test was two days earlier, on Jan. 19.)

My colleague @AdamPinsker watched the U.S. government execute Dustin Higgs early Saturday, Jan. 16. A week later, Adam took a coronavirus test that came back positive. (He also took a rapid test 12 hours after Higgs' execution; it was negative.)

The day I got my result, Jan. 21, I contacted the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. I suggested their staff get tested and to share my result with anyone I encountered. It seemed like the fastest way to notify their staff as well as the many journalists covering three executions that week.

The prison bureau communicates almost exclusively via email. It selects, registers and background checks reporters electronically. Parking is set up weeks in advance. Guards check credentials, spokespeople hold printed lists of approved people. The bureau keeps track of everyone.

So, I expected the bureau to email a quick note to its list of media credentialed for the three executions scheduled Jan. 12-15. They didn't. Instead, I soon received a response explaining that they only contact trace if the person shows symptoms within two days of any encounter.

I followed up and explained that while the result came on Jan. 21, minor symptoms appeared sooner -- within hours of Johnson's execution, which was after midnight on Jan. 16. They started 18 hours later. It wasn't more than two days since being at the prison. It was the same day.

Despite receiving notice that a person with a confirmed positive COVID-19 case, just hours from becoming symptomatic, was inside the prison media center during an execution, the bureau told no one. At least none of the exposed media. They made that my job, even though I was sick.

Given that the ones to contact were journalists covering executions, it was only a matter of time until someone reported it. The AP broke the story and kindly left our names out. But everyone there knows it's us. We did the notifying; the prison bureau kept the media in the dark.

Three people I haven't been able to reach are (I believe) staff members of the "execution team." They were exposed for long periods the night of Corey Johnson's execution. They include the driver of one of the media vans and (I believe) a guard in the execution chamber. No names.

(I removed the name of a media specialist from the above email. I don't believe they had anything to do with these decisions. We've had major differences about other issues over the past six months. But I really think they tried to keep us safe. They always wore masks, at least.)

That's the short-ish version of what happened, and didn't, when @AdamPinsker and I tested positive for COVID-19 after the Trump admin.'s last three executions. Luckily we both seem to have relatively minor cases and are back at work (from home). More here: https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/u.s.-leaves-journalists-in-the-dark-after-our-reporters-test-positive-for-covid-19.php