Juvenile Justice COVID-19 Cases Increase
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – The number of COVID-19 cases in Florida's juvenile-justice system continues to climb, with 12 more youths and seven more workers testing positive since Thursday, according to numbers released Tuesday by the state Department of Juvenile Justice.
The number of infected youths jumped to 31, with 15 at Okeechobee Youth Development Center, six at the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center, four at Miami Youth Academy and three at the Broward Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
The number of infected workers increased to 43 on Tuesday, with 12 at the Broward Regional Juvenile Detention Center, six at Miami Youth Academy and four each at the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center, Palm Beach Youth Academy and Okeechobee Youth Development Center.
The department has taken steps to try to curb the spread of the disease, including preventing visitors from coming to the facilities.
"Youth inside juvenile detention centers and residential commitment programs are continuously being monitored and screened for symptoms and if a youth becomes symptomatic, he or she is isolated from other youth and the facility's designated health authority is contacted," the department said in a news release Tuesday.
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