Cook County Jail Suspends In-Person Visits With COVID-19 Rates Skyrocketing In City, Suburban Cook County
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In-person visitation is being suspended at the Cook County Jail with COVID-19 rates spiking in both Chicago and suburban Cook County.
The Cook County Department of Corrections announced that in-person visits will no longer be allowed at the jail starting Monday.
In June, the jail was one of the first to reinstate in-person visits, using an outdoor, socially-distant setting that involved temperature screenings for all guests before they saw inmates.
While the Cook County Jail saw a COVID-19 crisis early in the pandemic, the Department of Corrections said it has had "great success" in containing the coronavirus. But the COVID-19 positivity rates for Chicago and suburban Cook County stand at 15.6 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively, the department noted.
Thus, visits are being banned to protect the health of staff and detainees.
Video visitation will continue, and in-person visitation will resume once it has been deemed safe.
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