DOVER, Del. (AP) - A staff member at a second juvenile detention facility in Delaware has tested positive for the coronavirus, state officials said Tuesday.
The employee of the Stevenson House Detention Center in Milford was self-isolating at home, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families said in a news release.
On Monday, the department reported that a staff member at the Ferris School in Wilmington had tested positive. Officials said the employee had not reported to work for an extended period of time, but that other staff members were told to self-monitor as a precaution.
A departmental employee who works in an administrative building also tested positive for the virus and was self-isolating at home, officials said last week.
No juvenile housed at a state-run facility has tested positive for the virus so far, department spokeswoman Jen Rini said Tuesday. Department officials reported last week that a youth at a community-based program run by an outside contractor had tested positive for the virus and was recuperating at home.
As of Tuesday, more than 300 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in Delaware, including 10 who died. Half of the deaths are related to long-term care facilities, including four in New Castle County and one in Sussex County. More than 55 people have been hospitalized, with 14 critically ill.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
On Monday, Gov. John Carney ordered that all child care facilities in Delaware close by April 6, except for those serving children of “essential personnel” working at businesses deemed “essential.”
As recently as last week, public health officials had said a widespread closure of child care centers was not necessary.
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