Auburn, other NY prisons plan to resume Family Reunion Program in September | Politics

Masks are required while outside of the Family Reunion Program unit. There will be cleaning products provided for visits. DOCCS will follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and sanitize the units after each use. 

“We must remain cognizant that the COVID-19 pandemic is still occurring, and the situation remains ever-changing,” DOCCS states in its memo. “Barring any adverse changes that would require the department to reassess the safety of resuming FRP, you can expect continued communication on this topic prior to the September 8, 2021 reopening date.” 

Thomas Mailey, a DOCCS spokesperson, wrote in an email to The Citizen that the memo “speaks for itself” and did not provide any further comment on the resumption of the program. 

Many state prisons dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks since the pandemic began in March 2020. DOCCS has reported 12,150 confirmed cases among its incarcerated population, parolees and staff. Elmira Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in the Southern Tier, had 618 inmates test positive for the virus — the most of any state prison. 

Cayuga County’s state prisons, Auburn and Cayuga correctional facilities, each had outbreaks. There were 179 inmate cases at Cayuga and 125 at Auburn. 

DOCCS has completed vaccination clinics at its facilities, according to Mailey. He said the department has administered at least one vaccine dose to 14,100 incarcerated individuals — 44% of the statewide prison population.