In-person family visits have resumed at NSW prisons, including the South Coast Correctional Centre at South Nowra from Monday, November 23, after being suspended in March to ensure the safety of staff and inmates during COVID-19.
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Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin said in-persons visits would be reintroduced carefully and safely, with restrictions on the number of visitors, the length of the visit and with strict physical-distancing in place.
"Correctional facilities are particularly vulnerable environments and we all need to work together to reduce the risk of COVID-19 entering our centres," Mr Severin said.
"I want to thank the families and friends of people in custody for their patience during this challenging time and for also embracing the new video visits we have introduced.
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"Close to 150,000 video visits have taken place across the state during the past seven months and we will continue to offer these as an alternative to in-person visits."
All visitors will be required to comply with new safety measures such as physical distancing, screening criteria, temperature checks and use of personal protective equipment.
As part of the ongoing health and safety measures, visits will now have:
- A limit of two visitors (two adults or one child and one adult) per inmate.
- A requirement for surgical masks to be worn for the entire visit.
- A fist or elbow bump at the beginning and end of the visit is permitted, but inmates and their visitors must maintain physical distance at all other times.
- The overall number of visits has been reduced to apply the four square metre rule.
- A maximum of 30 minutes per visit.
- No food or drinks available.
Mr Severin said the number of visitors could eventually increase, but visit conditions may also change at any time if an increased risk of COVID-19 is identified.
"I would ask all visitors to please be responsible and not come to a correctional centre if you are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19," Mr Severin said.
"Video visits will continue to be available and we encourage parents or guardians to consider whether these may be a better option for children at this time.
"We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and the advice of NSW Health, to ensure the safety of our staff, inmates and visitors."
Phone lines opened from November 18 for in-person visit bookings or for more information, visit http://correctiveservices.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/CorrectiveServices/COVID-Safe-in-person-visits.aspx
