Monty McElveen has a daughter with a history of respiratory illness, but he can’t keep her safe from the coronavirus because she’s locked up in the Ector County Jail.

McElveen told CBS7 that his daughter, Holly Ann, has had asthma her whole life, and last year had a tuberculosis scare.

"The health department got involved cause she was so bad," McElveen said. "She got real weak, stayed in the hospital for two weeks. Unfortunately people at risk like this, if they get the virus, there's a good chance they may die."

He thinks his daughter should be isolated, or even be confined to the trailer behind his home.

"House arrest with an ankle bracelet," McElveen suggested. "So they know where she is. She wouldn't be going out, wouldn't be driving. The only difference between this and jail would be she could probably watch more TV."

Governor Greg Abbott made an executive order to not release any prisoners with a violent record, but Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis says they’ve applied the rule to all inmates.

"Apparently the public is not aware of that or has misconstrued that order," Griffis said. "[They] think that we should just let their family members out. We're not going to do it, until a judge tells us we can let them out."

"I'd just like somebody to tell me what their plan is and what's going on," McElveen said. " Cause I don't want to lose my daughter."

"If you are at-risk and you come to jail we do have a screening process," Griffis said. "And we will try to accommodate those issues on a case-by-case basis."

Griffis said everyone coming into the jail has their temperature checked, and inmates showing symptoms for any illness have been isolated.