With the number of COVID-19 cases in Chicago and Cook County on the rise, and in light of the current stay-at-home advisory for the City of Chicago, the Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDOC) is temporarily suspending in-person visits at the jail starting Monday, Nov. 16.
In June, the Cook County Jail was one of the first jails or prisons to re-instate in-person visitation, using an outdoor, socially distant setting in which all visitors are screened and their temperatures are taken prior to meeting with their loved ones who are in custody.
For months, individuals in custody were able to safely meet with family and friends. Like individuals in custody, the people who visit them come from the community, where current test positivity rates for Chicago and Cook County are at 15.6% and 15.2% respectively.
While CCDOC has had great success containing the virus, given the strong encouragement by state and local health officials to promote staying at home and the current test positivity rates in the community, this temporary modification will help protect the health and safety of staff and individuals in custody.
Jail staff, in close coordination with our partners at Cermak Health Services, continue to combat the virus through proven interventions such as social distancing, limited movement, and aggressive testing protocols. Video visitation will continue to be provided to individuals in custody as it has since April, and in-person visitation will be reinstated soon as it is safe to do so.