Erie County jails suspend in-person visits amid rising Covid cases

In-person visits at Erie County’s jails have been temporarily suspended “due to an increase in positive Covid cases amongst the incarcerated individual population,” Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia announced Tuesday. The measure went into effect Tuesday at both the Holding Center downtown and the Correctional Facility in Alden.

The jail’s Division of Correctional Health has detected 15 confirmed cases of Covid among incarcerated people “and is expecting that number to increase when more contact tracing and test results are received.”

“I understand that visits benefit the incarcerated population and their families, but I have to consider their health and limit their exposure to Covid and other viruses,” Garcia said. The Sheriff’s Office follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “congregate settings” for testing, monitoring and prevention. “As our facilities experience a decrease in infection rates, my administration will review in-person visitations,” he said.

Public health officials have noted an increase in Covid cases and hospitalizations since this summer and are encouraging the public to get the new Covid vaccine .