LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — With COVID cases climbing, the state Department of Corrections said starting Monday that it will house inmates who are unvaccinated together.
Newswatch 16 spoke to a woman from Luzerne County who did not want us to share her identity.
She has a loved one who is locked up in a state facility and he does not want to get the shot.
"These people can't leave the environment that they're in. The question that I have is, 'what about the workers?' They're the only ones that are going out in society and bringing it back and forth in there," she said.
The state prison system will also stop in-person visits for inmates who are not vaccinated.
The woman we spoke to said she hasn't been able to see her loved one since February of 2020.
"Very discouraging. I'm very upset because it feels like, we had something that we can at least see each other once or twice a week and they've taken that from us too," she said.
According to the Department of Corrections, about 21% of inmates in state facilities are unvaccinated; that is about 7,800 inmates.
The woman said her loved one has one year left on his sentence.
"I just hope that this doesn't turn into a very long year because it just seems like we're right at the end of it," she said.
The prison system provides the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to all inmates who want it.
Masks are also required indoors for all inmates and staff.