Prison Visits Are Back in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana will let family and friends begin seeing inmates in-person again at the state's prisons. Thursday's announcement from the Department of Corrections comes a year after suspending visits at prisons because of the coronavirus pandemic. The department says it will phase in visitation starting Saturday at some facilities. The move comes as Gov. John Bel Edwards has loosened his COVID-19 restrictions. Prison visitors will have to follow social distancing guidelines, wear a face covering and won’t be able to have contact with the inmate. The new visitation rules don’t yet cover lawyers seeking to see their clients. The department said it’s working on plans to resume face-to-face visits with attorneys.