(WXYZ) — In-person visitations at Michigan prisons will resume later this month, more than a year after they were halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, in-person visitations will begin on March 26.
“We recognize how important in-person visitation is to our prison population,” MDOC Director Heidi Washington said in a release. “Connections with family and the community lead to greater offender success. With the continuation of vaccines and cases within the MDOC on a steady decline the department is prepared to provide in-person visits without jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of our inmates and staff.”
There are many rules for in-person visits. Before entering the facility, visitors will go through the MDOC screen process, which includes a rapid antigen test. Masks will be stored in lockers and the MDOC will provide visitors with a new mask. The prisoner will also go through a rapid antigen test.
Interactions will be modified, and plexiglass will be between the prisoner and their visitor, and physical contact is prohibited.
Approved visitors have to schedule their visits in advance and there will be a two-hour time limit.
As of Friday, there have been 24,493 cases of COVID-19 in the MDOC and 146 deaths.
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