NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – The city Department of Correction will resume in-person visits and other services that were suspended at jails because of the pandemic, officials said Wednesday.
The department said there would be a phased resumption of some paused services, including the in-person family visits, this month.
In-person visits have been largely unavailable to people in custody and their families after they were suspended in March 2020 because of the coronavirus. They have been replaced by tele-visits during the pandemic.
“Due to the pandemic, certain services for people in custody and their families had to be limited or reimagined, and this gradual reopening marks a turning point for our jails as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the department said in a press release Wednesday.
In-person family visits will resume June 25, the department said. As part of an initial launch, the visits will resume Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays. Tele-visits will continue on Saturdays and Sundays.
The department said it has worked with the city Department of Health and Correctional Health Services to develop guidelines to safely reopen visits and other services.
All visitors and people in custody will be six feet apart. Visitors will also take part in a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure and have their temperatures checked. They’ll also be required to wear masks, officials said.
Due to high-demand and social distancing requirements, drop-in visits will only be allowed in limited circumstances, the department said. Visitors are encouraged to pre-register and schedule online here beginning on June 14.
“The pandemic has made seeing friends and family challenging for everyone, and it has been especially difficult for people in custody and their families because of the special challenges COVID poses in jails,” Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said in a statement. “This is a happy occasion, and as normal services resume we expect it to have a very positive impact on the safety and wellbeing of everyone who lives and works in our facilities.”
Other services that are resuming this month include barbershops and beauty salons for men and women in custody (June 7) and congregant religious services (June 14).