BOISE, Idaho — Visits have been banned for more than a month at a minimum-security prison south of Boise due to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Visitation will be suspended until "at least" Feb. 14 at the South Idaho Correctional Institution, the Idaho Department of Correction announced Thursday.
Officials say there has been an increase in the number of positive COVID-19 tests among inmates. As of Monday, 13 people total had tested positive. The facility's PRC courtroom and Main Dorm are currently under quarantine.
Infectious illnesses can spread quickly in settings like jails and prisons due to the high number of people living in close proximity to one another. Health officials have also warned that the omicron variant of COVID-19 - now the dominant strain in Idaho - spreads more easily from person to person than earlier strains.
For more information on IDOC's COVID-19 response, click here.
At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.
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