No juveniles test positive for coronavirus at state operated facilities, NCDPS says
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety reported Thursday that no juveniles at its detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release.
The state operates four youth development centers and seven juvenile detention centers. Only those who agreed to undergo testing were tested. Diana Kees, a spokesperson for NCDPS, said roughly 96 youths were tested in state-operated juvenile detention centers, and about 152 juveniles were tested in the state’s youth development centers.
Four staff members at different facilities in North Carolina tested positive in May.
After the state’s department of health and human services recommended testing at all congregate living facilities, state officials conducted tests at juvenile facilities in mid-June.
“We are thankful that to this point, no child in one of North Carolina’s state operated juvenile justice facilities has been infected with the coronavirus,” William Lassiter, deputy secretary for Juvenile Justice, said in a press release. “These results are good, but we will not relax our efforts to protect the health and safety of our staff and the juveniles in our care.
“We will continue to provide testing opportunities to new admissions to our secure custody facilities to identify those with COVID-19 for monitoring and appropriate health care, so that we don’t spread the virus.”
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 5:51 PM with the headline "No juveniles test positive for coronavirus at state operated facilities, NCDPS says."
