Prevention Strategies

The Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) continues to take the following measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19:

• Testing residents for COVID-19 upon intake, when symptomatic, or when otherwise recommended by JJC’s medical provider;
• Testing all staff who work in secure or residential facilities or who otherwise may have contact with JJC residents for COVID-19;
• Making COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters available to all residents;
• Delaying the intake of youth presenting with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and quarantining new intakes prior to transfer to the general population
• Mandating that staff who test positive for COVID-19 or who have contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 isolate/quarantine at home;
• Maintaining medical isolation areas for use in the event a resident tests positive for COVID-19 or exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and requiring staff to wear appropriate personal protective equipment when interacting with any resident in medical isolation;
• Communicating regularly with youth about preventative hygiene practices and what to do if they experience symptoms through written materials and routine conversation;
• Implementing enhanced sanitization protocols, including contracting with professional cleaning firms to conduct enhanced cleaning, when appropriate;
• Mandating all individuals entering facilities wear face masks when community transmission levels are high (orange), when facility transmission levels may be high, and during visitation;
• Making face masks available to all residents and encouraging their use;
• Making additional personal protective equipment available to staff at facilities impacted by COVID-19;
• Encouraging social distancing practices for youth and staff.