Several groups, including advocates for incarcerated individuals, criticized the ban on visitation at state prisons. In a joint statement, the coalition expressed outrage that "the only two actions (Gov. Andrew Cuomo) has taken for incarcerated people since the outbreak of the coronavirus are forcing incarcerated people to make hand sanitizer for slave wages and keeping families apart with a blanket ban on visiting through April 11."

The groups want Cuomo to grant clemency to incarcerated individuals who are vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus, including older inmates and those with compromised immune systems, and ensure that all in prisons have access to cleaning and disinfecting supplies.

"The reality is that staff cycling in and out of the facility present risks comparable to those posed by visitors and we have heard no plans to even screen them," the groups said. "Visits serve as a lifeline to incarcerated people and their families. Banning visits must be an absolute last resort. Any visit ban should be routinely reevaluated and visiting should be reinstated as soon as public health and safety standards permit."