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The suspension took effect at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Non-contact legal visits will be allowed, according to DOCCS. 

"We will continue to monitor the infection rates and resume visitation as soon as it's practical," DOCCS wrote on its website. "We recognize that visitation is a vital part of family reunification and therefore, we will resume it when safe to do so." 

There has been a significant surge in COVID-19 cases among employees and incarcerated individuals. The number of staff cases increased by 1,187 in one month, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 29, while inmate cases rose from 1,776 to 2,945, an increase of 1,169. Three incarcerated individuals have died since late November. 

Auburn and Cayuga correctional facilities, two state prisons in Cayuga County, are among those that have outbreaks. Auburn, a maximum-security prison, has 47 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 33 of which are active. DOCCS reported an inmate at the prison died Sunday after testing positive for the virus. 

Cayuga has been one of the hardest-hit correctional facilities in the state. The prison has 126 confirmed cases, according to the latest data from DOCCS. It's the fifth-highest total in the state prison system. 

Because of the uptick in cases at Auburn and Cayuga correctional facilities, the two prisons suspended visitation earlier this month. Visitation was also suspended at Attica Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in western New York. 

But since that announcement three weeks ago, other prisons have been affected by outbreaks. Woodbourne Correctional Facility has 195 confirmed cases. One month ago, the prison didn't have a positive case. Clinton Correctional Facility, which had 27 cases in late November, now has 100.

DOCCS said Tuesday that it has deployed rapid testing for staff and launched an asymptomatic testing program for inmates. In addition to suspending visitation, the department has temporarily suspended intake from county jails. There is also limits on movement within the prison system.