Alaska is set to allow family members of fully vaccinated inmates to visit them in correctional facilities starting Wednesday, according to a Department of Corrections press release. Public visitations in Alaska’s prisons were halted over a year ago, along with all nonessential access, due to concerns about COVID-19 outbreaks in correctional facilities. “This has been a challenging year and we appreciate everyone’s patience and flexibility as we gradually restore our facilities to their pre-COVID operations,” Department of Corrections Commissioner Nancy Dahlstrom said in the release. Visitation will be by appointment, physical contact will not be allowed, and masks will have to be worn, the release states. The resumption of family visits pertains to all correctional facilities statewide, except in Anchorage and Ketchikan, which are struggling with spikes in new infections. Only inmates who have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will qualify for family visits, and only after two …