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Visitors to be allowed at Michigan prisons on March 26th

"Jail cells at the Southborough Police Station" by my_southborough is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

For the first time in more than a year, visitors will be allowed at Michigan prisons.

Since the pandemic began last March, more than 25-thousand inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. 139 have died from the disease.

Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson Chris Gautz says visitors will need to test negative for the virus at the prison.  He says there will also be other precautions.

“There'll be plexiglass in between them when they have the visit," said Gautz. "So that's obvious, a little bit different, but again, right now this is the the safest way.”

Gautz says about half of those incarcerated will be vaccinated by the time the visits resume. 25-percent of inmates have been vaccinated so far.