The union that represents corrections officers in state prisons on Wednesday raised concerns with about the spread of COVID-19 in the state's prison system. 

New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association in a statement pointed to the rising COVID-19 positivity rate in the state heading into a holiday season that is expected to only increase the spread of infection. 

“With COVID-19 rates beginning to spike throughout New York, we are calling on the Governor and DOCCS to take immediate steps to prevent any outbreaks inside the facilities where my members serve the people of this State," said Union President Michael Powers. "We are requesting that all non-essential inmate movement cease, visitations be paused, and inmates be placed in an ‘every other cubical’ setting inside prison dormitories."

As of Monday, state prison officials had reported 1,737 positive COVID cases in state prisons. 

But Powers is worried the spread will once again become worse in the facilities. He pointed to measures taken in some facilities that have been shown to work.

“New York should once again heed NYSCOPBA’s call to put immediate safeguards in place before additional outbreaks occur," he said. "When the positivity rates inside Greene and Elmira exploded, NYSCOPBA called for the stoppage of visitations and nonessential transports, as well as implementing social distancing and rapid testing for staff. As a result, we’ve seen the positive levels decline significantly in those two prisons. The state needs to act now, system-wide, before it’s too late."