Covid-19 reaches Mendocino County Juvenile Hall

On Nov. 4, two Mendocino County Juvenile Probation Office staff members, after experiencing mild symptoms, tested positive for COVID-19.

Mendocino County Public Health collaborated with Juvenile Hall to begin contact tracing the same day. This contact tracing effort led to the testing of an asymptomatic Juvenile Hall resident, who was recently transported in a vehicle by the two positive staff members.

This resident also tested positive for COVID-19. The family of this resident has been notified, and it is believed that this resident may have been infected before arriving in Mendocino County.

All three positive individuals are in isolation, and outbreak testing was conducted at the facility on Thursday. Mendocino County Juvenile Hall has sanitized their facilities and the vehicle that was used to transport the resident, and they are continuing to monitor all residents. Contact tracing and investigation are underway.

In its daily update of local coronavirus cases, the county reported that 20 additional cases of COVID-19 were identified in Mendocino County on Thursday, bringing the total to 1,213.

Of the 20 new cases reported Thursday, 17 were in the Ukiah Area, which for testing purposes also includes Redwood Valley and Potter Valley. Three of those currently infected were hospitalized on Thursday, although none were in the intensive care unit. An additional 68 residents with COVID-19 were in isolation on Thursday.

Of the total 1,213 cases so far, 915 have been in the Ukiah area, 122 in the North County, 109 on the North Coast, 44 in the South County, and 23 on the South Coast.

By gender, more females (653) than males (560) have been infected. Twenty-one Mendocino County residents have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Despite the 20 cases identified on Thursday, Mendocino County remained within the Red Tier, with a seven-day average of 6.71 cases each day over the prior week.