PA state prisons halt in-person visitation amid COVID surge. What is happening in local jails
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is putting a temporary stop to in-person visitation at state prisons as a result of staffing shortages tied to the latest COVID-19 surge, but at least one county jail has no plans to do the same.
Acting Corrections Secretary George Little made the announcement Monday affecting the 25 state prisons, which will suspend in-person visits starting Thursday through Feb. 28 to allow facilities to more effectively allocate staff amid the statewide surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Staffing levels have been significantly impacted throughout the winter months by the same uptick in COVID-19 cases that our communities are experiencing,” Little said in a press release. “Even when symptoms are mild, quarantine requirements for COVID-positive staff and close contacts of those who have tested positive have led to an increased reliance on voluntary and mandated overtime that is not sustainable.”
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Recreation, education, and access to programming in state prisons will not be impacted, but delivery of some services will be modified to promote social distancing. Free video visits will be increased during the suspension, and free cable TV will be provided to state inmates in February.
Cancellation notices will be sent via email to individuals with in-person visits scheduled for Thursday. When onsite visitation resumes, anyone age 12 and older will be required to affirm they’ve received the COVID vaccine and may be required to provide proof.
The DOC decision will have no immediate ripple effect among local county jails.
Montgomery County Correctional Center suspended in-person visitation on March 13, 2020. It reinstituted virtual visits for family and friends on July 1, 2020. In-person visits between inmates and their attorneys resumed last April, and there are no immediate plans to curtail them, county spokeswoman Kelly Cofrancisco said.
Montgomery County has seen positive COVID cases double among inmates and more than quadruple among corrections staff this month, Cofrancisco said.
As of Monday, 103 inmates and 91 staff tested positive this month compared to 42 inmates and 21 staff in December and 52 inmates and one employee in November.
Bucks County Correctional Center, where glass partitions separate visitors and inmates, there are no plans to suspend in-person visits, county spokesman James O’Malley said. More than 6,000 free video visits have taken place since Dec. 24 when the county kicked off the option.
“With video in play, we have seen a reduction in in-person visitation,” O’Malley added.
Bucks County is pulling back on how it tracks COVID at the jail. It's tracking only the number of currently active cases among inmates and it's no longer tracking cases among staff, O'Malley said.
As of Monday, there were 10 active cases among inmates and O'Malley was aware of no immediate staffing issues at the jail.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: COVID-related staff shortages force state prisons to suspend visits
