(AP) — A U.S. judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement in a lawsuit by Hawaiʻi inmates who allege state officials mishandled the pandemic and failed to protect them from COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons and jails. The settlement establishes a five-person panel to oversee public health in correctional facilities and other measures to improve sanitation, hygiene and medical monitoring. The judge says the settlement is “fair, adequate, and reasonable.” Situations described in court documents included ailing detainees kept near a bathroom flooded with urine and feces. A hearing is scheduled next month to consider any objections to the settlement terms.

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