Pennsylvania Department Of Corrections Suspends In-Person Visits For Unvaccinated Inmates
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
HARRISBURG (KDKA) -- The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections announced additional steps to keep people who are incarcerated protected against COVID-19.
Effective Monday, people who are incarcerated will be assigned to housing units based on their vaccination status. The department also announced in-person visits will be suspended until further notice for unvaccinated inmates.
Access to education, programming and other services will not be impacted, the department said.
"As we learn more about the highly contagious nature of the virus and its variants, it is critically important for the DOC to take proactive measures to keep our population safe," said DOC Secretary John Wetzel in a release Thursday. "Those who are vaccinated are protected by the vaccine, and we are working to protect those who choose not to be vaccinated by limiting contact with potential carriers of the virus."
Approximately 78 percent of the state prison population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Twenty-one percent, or 7,804 individuals, are not vaccinated. The total number of active COVID-19 cases at state correctional institutions is 47 as of Aug. 3.
