Prison visits to resume for first time since March

The state prison system will resume social visits for inmates next week after stopping them because of the pandemic, the Department of Correction said Friday.

The visits will resume on Oct. 15, although the number of visitors and sessions will be restricted to comply with Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders. The DOC halted all visits in March in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

In addition to reinstating non-contact visits, prison officials are in the process of finalizing plans for video visits. They hope to start the virtual visits via the Microsoft Teams application in about a month, they said.

“I truly understand how difficult it has been for offenders and their loved ones not to have been able to see each other face-to-face during the pandemic,” said Commissioner Designate Angel Quiros. “The resumption of visits has been a top priority of mine, but wehave to take

every precaution possible to make sure we continue to keep the virus at bay.”

All visitors, offenders and staff will be required to wear masks, covering their mouths and noses, at all times during the visits. Visitors are responsible for providing their own masks.

Visiting areas will be sanitized in between each visit.

Visits will be by appointment only and must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance, prison officials said. Visitors must be on the offender’s approved visiting list.

Only two visitors will be allowed at a time, and each visit will be limited to 30 minutes, they said. Visitors will besubjecttotemperature checksandhealthscreenings.

Inmates who have tested positive for the coronavirus or who are being monitored for it are not permitted to have visitors, and all visits will be suspended if there is an increase in infections in a prison or community, correction officials said.

People who want to visit may go to the specific facility’s page on the DOC website and follow the instructions. More information about visiting schedules and policies is available on the website at: https:// portal.ct.gov/DOC, prison officials said.