Essex Jails Suspend In-Person Visitation Amid Coronavirus Spike

DANVERS, MA — In-person visitations will be suspended at Essex County correctional facilities as of Sunday.

The Essex County Sheriff's Office cited rising coronavirus rates in the region for the suspension of family and friend visitations. Attorneys will still be able visit their clients at the facilities.

"The decision to suspend visitation was a difficult one with the holidays approaching," the Essex Sheriff's Office said, "but we felt it was a necessary one for the safety of our incarcerated population as well as our employees."

This week the prison system launched a video visitation system where friends and families of inmates can register and schedule video chats with those incarcerated. Video visits cost $5, plus tax, for each 20-minute session.

The state had its highest-ever recorded one-day total of coronavirus cases on Thursday with 6,417 announced positive cases and a positive test rate that topped 5 percent.

Among the highest rates on the North Shore were from Peabody — designated a "high-risk" city for community spread, according to state metrics — as well as Danvers and Salem. All three communities had more 40 cases per 100,000 residents.

The Middleton jail had an outbreak this fall when 168 inmates and staff tested positive across and triggered system-wide testing for all inmates, staff and vendors in the system. The rate dipped in the prisons over the ensuing weeks with the Sheriff's Office saying that most cases at that time were asymptomatic.

Related Patch Coverage: Essex County Prison 'Video Visits' To Begin Next Week

MA Reports New High 6,477 Coronavirus Cases, 5% Positive Rate