NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials suspended visitation and volunteer programs in Louisiana's eight state-run prisons Tuesday to guard against the spread of COVID-19.
The action comes in response to a fourth surge of the disease in the state, where hospitalizations — at more than 1,200 as of Monday — have more than doubled in 10 days.
The suspension is effective immediately and will be reevaluated on Aug. 16, the Department of Corrections said in a news release.
“In lieu of visitation, the Department will continue to offer two free phone calls per week to ensure inmates have continued connection to family and friends during this event,” the department said. “In addition, video calling remains available for a fee.”
At least two major hospital systems in the state have announced the suspension of nonemergency surgeries that might require hospital admissions as COVID-19 hospitalization numbers grow.
In the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson Parish, officials held a morning news conference to again urge people to get vaccinated. Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, accompanied by the parish coroner and doctors from two local hospital systems, said new cases are evident in areas of the parish where vaccination rates are low.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.