RIDOC suspends in-person visits due to spike in COVID-19 cases
CRANSTON, R.I. (WLNE)- The Rhode Island Department of Corrections announced the suspension of in-person visits for inmates, due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“Due to the increase in the community of individuals testing positive for COVID-19, the easy transmissibility of the Omicron variant, as well as the onset of colder weather and therefore closer quarters, the number of inmates and staff who are testing positive for COVID-19 is increasing,” the department wrote in a Facebook post.
The department will be taking a number of steps in the next 4-6 weeks, including:
• Effective immediately, in-person visits for inmates are suspended in all facilities. We will re-evaluate in four weeks and determine when should in-person visitations resume.
• This does not include or affect attorney or clergy visits. Video visits may still take place.
• RIDOC provides inmates one video-visit free of charge a week to facilitate more contact with loved ones.
“Since we are considered a congregate setting, we must do everything in our power to keep everyone inside our facilities is as safe as possible. Our high-vaccination rate, the safety measures and mitigation procedures to fight the spread of COVID-19 have kept us as one of the safest correctional facilities in the country, and we will do everything we can to keep it that way,” Chief of Information & Public Relations Officer, J.R. Ventura, said in a statement.
“The high transmissibility of the Omicron variant poses a challenge for everyone; however, we have put in place health safety measures that we hope can keep both staff and inmates safe through this latest wave of COVID-19. Once it subsides and we know it is safe, we should resume in-person visitations; video visitations are still available, and RIDOC provides one video visit a week at no charge to all inmates,” says Ventura.
