Inmate visitation and volunteer programs are being halted at all ten Nebraska facilities due to concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services says the visitations and volunteer programs will be put on hold for at least the next two weeks.
Director Scott Frakes says the agency will assess the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and determine when it will be safe to resume visitation and volunteer programs. “We were proactive in shutting visitation down when the coronavirus emerged several months ago. Now that an uptick in positive cases is occurring, it is prudent to stop the program until we know which direction the trend is going, particularly here in Nebraska,” Frakes said in a statement issued Friday.
To date, 10 inmates of the NDCS system have tested positive for COVID-19, and have all recovered. Of the 48 staff members to test positive, 33 have recovered.