NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Starting Wednesday, the Department of Correction will allow in-person visits to Rikers Island again.
The DOC suspended in-person visits to the jail on Dec. 22, 2021 due to a massive outbreak of the omicron COVID-19 variant.
Rikers and other New York prisons have struggled with outbreaks throughout the pandemic. At the time the DOC announced the Rikers visit suspension, 21% of prisoners in the facility were infected, according to NY1.
All visitors older than 5-years-old will have to provide proof of vaccination and take a rapid covid test before they enter the facility.
“I am very pleased that we have crossed another threshold in our fight against this virus,” said Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina. “In-person visits are important because they keep people in custody connected to their families and communities and contribute to their emotional wellbeing, all of which make our jails safer and more humane.”
Rikers is in the midst of a “humanitarian crisis” exacerbated by COVID-19, according to New York lawmakers who toured the facility in response to reports of poor living conditions. They found the jail to be understaffed, overcrowded and lacking basic necessities.
Commissioner Molina, who was recently hired by Mayor Eric Adams, faced criticism for firing Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Investigation Sarena Townsend who was investigating abuse at Rikers.
Townsend said Molina asked her to throw out 2,000 disciplinary cases and fired her when she refused, the New York Daily News reported.
The jail will only allow 50% of the pre-pandemic visitor capacity in order to accommodate social distancing requirements.
Visits will be walk-in only until Feb. 16, at which point in-person visits can be scheduled on the DOC website here.
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