A staff member and a youth at Santa Maria Juvenile Hall, along with a staff member at Los Prietos Boys Camp, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokeswoman on Friday.
The Juvenile Hall staff member took a test for the coronavirus with their physician on Jan. 11 and informed the Santa Barbara County Probation Department of the positive result Jan. 13, according to spokeswoman Karyn Milligan.
The staff member last worked on Dec. 17 and there was no potential work-related exposures and no need to conduct additional contact tracing or testing, according to Milligan.
On Jan. 14, a staff member assigned to Los Prietos Boys Camp informed County Probation that a Jan. 11 coronavirus test came back positive.
The staff member last worked on Nov. 24, 2020, and there was no work-related exposure and no need for additional contact tracing or testing, according to Milligan.
Additionally, the Probation Department was notified by its medical unit that a youth in custody at the Juvenile Hall tested positive coronavirus on Jan. 14.
The youth, who received a coronavirus test during the normal booking process, was placed in medical isolation status to ensure minimal contact with staff and other youths until test results came back, according to Milligan.
Following the positive result, the youth was transferred to a medical observation unit specifically used for coronavirus patients and is experiencing minor symptoms.
Exposed staff were identified following contract tracing and tested, although results were negative, according to Milligan.
The last four youth booked into Juvenile Hall have all tested positive for the coronavirus, although they are not connected geographically, demonstrating the pervasiveness of the disease in the county, Milligan added.
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