Face-To-Face Visitation Halted At Lorain County Sheriff's Office

ELYRIA, OH — All face-to-face inmate visits at the Lorain County Sheriff's office have been halted due to the new coroanvirus, COVID-19, outbreak. Families will be able to visit inmates digitally, the sheriff's office said.

Laptops, phones, computers and electronic pads will be used to connect inmates with their visitors. Visits can be scheduled online through ICSolutions.

Face-to-face visitation will be resumed at a later date, when the pandemic subsides in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine has restricted access to prisons and jails throughout the state to protect inmates and guards from the virus.

DeWine issued a "stay-at-home" order for Ohioans on Sunday and announced that only essential businesses will be allowed to remain open beginning Monday at 11:59 p.m. until at least April 6. A list of essential businesses can be found here.

There are 83 Ohioans hospitalized because of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the state health department announced Sunday. Ohio officials said at least 351 residents have been infected by the virus.

Officials said testing capacity for COVID-19 is limited, which means there may be far more than 350 Ohioans infected by the virus. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Ohio did not change between Saturday and Sunday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.