Joseph Spector is reporting for the Democrat and Chronicle that visitations have resumed in New York's 52 state prisons, as of August 5. The weekly practice was ended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Visits started Wednesday in maximum security facilities and will be allowed Saturday in all other state-run prisons, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Services. The state has imposed a series of safety precautions and restrictions in the hope of avoiding a spread of COVID-19 in facilities, where about 2,000 people have tested positive. Twenty-six people out of the 54,000 locked up by the state of New York, have died of the virus, according to the agency. Under the new rules, visiting rooms will be re-configured to reduce the capacity by 50 percent to allow for social distancing; outside visiting areas will first be used for visits; everyone is now required to wear a mask during processing and for the duration of the visit. If a visitor does not have a mask, the visit may be denied. Visitors will be required to complete a questionnaire to enter a prison, and temperature checks will be taken prior to any visit. Physical contact will be limited to a brief embrace at the beginning and the end of a visit. Each visit will be limited to three visitors, unless the facility policy specifies fewer. One child, under the age of five, can also be allowed, but the child must sit on an adult’s lap. Read the full story in the Democrat and Chronicle.