In a release issued yesterday, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that Alcatraz Island will reopen on Monday, March 15, with safety measures in place. The move comes under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as California state and local public health experts.

Is Alcatraz still open for prisoners?

Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco's Bay closes down and transfers its last prisoners. At its peak period of use in 1950s, “The Rock," or "America's Devil Island," housed over 200 inmates at the maximum-security facility.

Why don't they open Alcatraz?

On March 21, 1963, USP Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation. ... The Federal Government found that it was more cost-effective to build a new institution than to keep Alcatraz open. After the prison closed, Alcatraz was basically abandoned.