PHILIPSBURG--Inmates at the Pointe Blanche prison are now able to receive visitors again, as visitation resumed on Thursday, June 4.
Physical visitations were suspended on March 18 due to the measures imposed by Prime Minister and Chairperson of the now disbanded Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Silveria Jacobs to help stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While physical, in-person visitations were suspended, inmates had the opportunity to use web portals to communicate with their families and lawyers on a weekly basis, the cabinet of Justice Minister Anna Richardson said in a press release on Thursday.
According to the release, the main priority of the Ministry of Justice, and the prison is the health and well-being of inmates and staff. Therefore, all necessary precautions have been put in place to maintain the guidelines recommended by government, Collective Prevention Services (CPS) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The adjusted measures include that all persons accessing the prison grounds must first wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before entering. A mask will be provided to prison staff only on entry. All visitors are required to have their own facemask. All persons entering the prison will be subject to normal scans and security-related searches.
Every individual will be sprayed with 70 per cent alcohol as an additional sanitary precaution, and automated, no-touch hand sanitiser dispensers were placed throughout the facility for both inmates and personnel to make use of throughout the day.
In an effort to maintain social distancing, three inmates will be allowed to see visitors simultaneously with only one person per visit. Exemptions will be made for persons who are taking a child. Plexiglas has also been installed to prevent any physical contact between visitors and inmates.
It is recommended that visitors call the facility at tel. 543-0280 prior to arriving at the prison to schedule an appointment for visitation, to prevent an influx of persons arriving at the same time.
