State prisons suspending visitations and volunteering amid new COVID surge
BATON ROUGE - State-run prisons have put a stop to visitations and volunteering due to a startling increase in new coronavirus cases across the state.
The Department of Corrections said Tuesday that the new policy is effective immediately in Louisiana's eight state-run prisons until Aug. 16.
A spokesperson from the department said they will still offer inmates two free phone calls a week. Video calls are available for a fee.
The department said 68 percent of inmates are vaccinated and they offer free vaccinations.
The Ascension Parish jail is also suspending visitations. The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that the decision is only a "precaution" spurred by the surging infection rate in Louisiana.
On Tuesday the state reported more than 6,700 new cases. Nearly 1,400 patients were in the hospital with COVID as of that afternoon.