[Press Conference] [00:00:04] >> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. JOHN WARD, DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AND TODAY WE'RE HERE GOING TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT UPDATE ON COVID, AND WE'VE BROUGHT OUR PARTNERS IN TO KIND OF GIVE SOME INFORMATION. OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN WORKING 187 DAYS SINCE COVID FIRST IMPACTED CLAY COUNTY, AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS TIME BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, YOU SEE THE PARTNERS THAT ARE IN THE ROOM AND STANDING BEHIND ME, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE HAVE HERE WITHIN CLAY COUNTY THAT HAS MADE THIS SUCCESSFUL. I WILL SAY I HOLD THESE RELATIONSHIPS HERE BAR NONE ACROSS THE STATE AS FAR AS THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE'VE GOT. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE GOT ONGOING. COMMUNITY BASED TESTING AT THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN CLAY COUNTY IN GREEN COVE SPRINGS. BRING YOUR I.D.S. MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 8:00 TO 5:00 FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THERE'S DISCUSSION IN THE MEDIA FROM STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS THAT THERE IS A VACCINE THAT WILL BE COMING SOON, SO WE'VE STARTED TO LOOK AT WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN THEY GET IT. WHEN IS FIRST COMES, LIMITED DOSES, THE FIRST OF THE YEAR BEFORE YOU SEE OPEN V.A. VACCINATION AREAS AND WE'RE PLANNING AS TO WHAT WOULD THAT LOOKED LIKE AND WHAT WE WOULD NEED IN PLACE IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN. ANOTHER THING I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS, AS WE REOPEN, REHIRE, AND REUNITE CLAY COUNTY, I JUST WANT US TO REMEMBER THAT WE PLEASE REMAIN CALM, INFORMED AND NOT GET COMPLACENT. IT IS STILL HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE STILL HAVE SPREAD WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, BUT I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO BE INFORMED AND REMAIN CALM AS WE MOVE FORWARD. CLAY COUNTY IS STILL STRONGLY RECOMMENDING THE WEARING OF MASKS WHEN PHYSICAL DISTANCING IS NOT PERMISSIBLE. IN PUBLIC PLACES AND GATHERINGS, WE NEED TO TRY TO REMEMBER TO WEAR MASKS TO PREVENT THAT. I'LL SWITCH IT UP AND TALK TROPICS, AS WE WERE JUST DISCUSSING THIS BEFORE. WE'VE GOT A VERY BUSY SEASON THAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR. WE STILL HAVE TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LEFT, SO I JUST WANT OUR CITIZENS TO BE PREPARED PROBABLY BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK, BEGINNING OF THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WE WILL BE OUT OF THE NAME STORMS AND ENTERING THE GREEK ALF BEAT, WHICH IS WHAT THEY DO WHEN THEY GO BEYOND THE LISTING OF STORMS. NOW IS TIME TO PREPARE YOUR FAMILY DISASTER PLAN, YOUR FAMILY DISASTER KIT, AND GET THAT PLAN TOGETHER AS TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. PLEASE GO TO ALERT.CLAY ALERT.CLAYCOUNTY.GOV.COM TO GO OVER WITH THE PLAN. SO MS. HEATHER HUFFMAN, THE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. >> THANK YOU, JOHN. I LIKE GIVE DATA SO PEOPLE CAN MAKE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS. WE'RE A LITTLE OVER 4,500 CASES. WE HAVE ABOUT 15 IN NONRESIDENTS. WE HAVE SIEVE AN UPTICK IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, LATE LAST WEEK, DUE TO THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE JAIL WITH SOME CASES THERE, AND WE'LL BE GLAD TO DISCUSS THOSE. OUR DEATH RATE, MORTALITY RATE REMAINS AROUND 2%, AND HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE AROUND 7% OF THE CASES. STILL POSITIVITY RATE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, IF WE TAKE THE OUTBREAK SITUATION AT THE JAIL OUT OF THE CURRENT NUMBERS, WE WERE HOVERING AROUND 6.5% POSITIVITY RATE FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS, AND THAT'S GOOD NEWS COMPARED TO WHERE WE WERE IN JUNE AT 10% TO 12%. SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO LOOKT A OUR HOSPITALIZATION DATA BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THAT WE NEEDED TO DO STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS AND SLOW THE SPREAD WAS TO REALLY CONTROL HOW MANY PEOPLE GOT CIRCUMSTANCES BUT ONES SO SICK WE COULD TAKE CARE OF THEM WITHIN OUR OWN% HOSPITAL ZIMBABWE THAT WE HAVE. AS OF THE END OF LAST WEEK, WE ONLY HAD FOUR ON VENTS, EIGHT IN I.C.U. OUR TOTAL I.C.U. BED WAS 36. SO WE'RE DOING WITH HOSPITALIZATIONS AND MEDICAL SURGE. OUR PARTNERSHIPS, AS WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE CLAY COUNTY SCHOOL DRIBBING, LOOKING AT CASE INTERVIEWS, THE CONTACT TRACING. WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP THERE. WE HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR DATA SYSTEM TO LOOK UP THE SEATING CHARTS AND ALSO ATTENDANCE RECORDS OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN THERE AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED SO WE CAN PROMPTLY AND IMMEDIATELY GET THOSE STUDENTS REMOVED FROM SCHOOL TO [00:05:01] DO THE ISOLATION OR QUARANTINE PERIOD. WE'RE DOING SAME-DAY, NEXT-DAY CONTACT TRACING, AND WE'VE HIRED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 23 FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBERS JUST WORKING ON COVID EFFORTS. LASTLY OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CLAY COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. WE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH SHERIFF MICHELLE COOK AND THE JAIL ADMINISTRATION. THAT IS A CONGREGATE SETTING AND WILL HAVE A HIRING RISK EXPOSURE FOR INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE THEY LIVE, EAT, SLEEP THERE. WE'VE DONE RECOMMENDATION OUT OF THE GUIDANCE FROM THE C.D.C. TO MITIGATE THE PROCESS HAPPENING NOW. WE LOOK AT COHORT POSITIVES TOGETHER, PEOPLE WHO ARE SYMPTOMATIC TOGETHER AND HOW WE TAKE THOSE WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC AND PUT THEM IN OTHER DORMITORIES. WE LOOKED AT THINGS LIKE ENHANCED CLEANING, SOCIAL DISTANCING, MAKING SURE THAT THE INMATES HAVE USE OF MASKS IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO AND LIMITING THEIR MOVEMENT. WE CURRENTLY HAVE DONE SOME TESTING IN THE JAILS. AS OF FRIDAY, WE SENT IN A THREE-PERSON INVESTIGATION TEAM TO DO INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE POSITIVE CASES AND LOOK AT THE CONTACT EXPOSURES. WE ALSO SENT IN A TWO-MAN TEAM TODAY TO DO ADDITIONAL TESTING, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO START ON A ROTATION OF EVERY TWO WEEKS TESTING IN THE JAIL SETTING SO WE CAN IDENTIFY THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE POSITIVE AND IMMEDIATELY ISOLATE THEM. AGAIN, DOING SAME-DAY, NEXT-DAY CONTACT TRACING. LAST THING, AS A PREVENTION MESSAGE, WE ARE COMING UP ON TO FLU SEASON. THIS IS THE YEAR, IF YOU'RE CONTEMPLATING FLU AND GETTING THE VACCINATION THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO GET THE FLU VACCINATION FOR THE SIMPLE REASON WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE THISEUR WITH COVID, ANOTHER RESPIRATORY TYPE ILLNESS, THAT COULD BE A COMPOUNDING FACTOR UPON THE FLU SEASON. AT THIS POINT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MICHELLE COOK, THE SHERIFF. >> THANK YOU, HEATHER. GOOD AFTERNOON. SO, LET'S TALK NUMBERS. AS OF THIS MORNING, WE HAVE 156 POSITIVE COVID 19 CASES IN THE CLAY COUNTY JAIL AMONG OUR INMATE POPULATION, OUT OF A JAIL POPULATION OF 472 INMATES. WE HAVE EIGHT AT DETENTION DES THAT TESTED POSITIVE AS WELL AND 104 TOTAL DEPUTIES THAT WORK FOR US. WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CLAY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND HEATHER HUFFMAN AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT JOHN WARD. I THINK SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE IN OUR CONTROL AND CUSTODY AND CARE HAVE FULL ACCESS TO MEDICAL PERSONNEL 24-7. WE HAVE A PHYSICIAN AVAILABLE AT ANYTIME WHEN CALLED AND WE HAVE A FULL STAFF OF NURSES IN THE NAIL 24-7. SO -- IN THE JAIL 24-7. SO IF ANY INMATE IS SHOWING SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS OR HAVE MEDICAL COMPLAINTS, THERE IS SOMEBODY RIGHT THERE WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF THEM. WE ARE CONTINUALLY MONITORING STAFF AND INMATES AND TAKING MEASURES TO ISOLATE AND QUARANTINE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SYMPTOMS, TESTED POSITIVE OR HAVE REFUSED TESTING. LET ME SAY THIS, THESE EFFORTS BEGAN BACK IN MARCH WHEN COVID FIRST STARTED BREAKING OUT, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE CLAY COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS BEEN VERY DILIGENT ABOUT DOING IS TAKING PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GETTING SICK. HOWEVER, LIKE HEATHER DESCRIBED, THIS IS AN AREA WHERE PEOPLE EAT, SLEEP, LIVE 24-7, AND, SO, IT WAS REALLY ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE EITHER AN EMPLOYEE OR A NEW INMATE BROUGHT COVID 19 INTO THE FACILITY AND, NOW THAT IT'S HERE, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE. FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, WE REQUIRE THAT OUR EMPLOYEES WEAR MASKS AND APPROPRIATE P.P.E. WE ARE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL HAND SANITIZER TO ALL OUR EMPLOYEES, AND WE CHECK OUR EMPLOYEES' TEMPERATURES AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SHIFT BEFORE THEY COME INTO THE FACILITY. FOR INMATES IN OUR CUSTODY AND CARE, THEY ARE SCREENED WHEN EAST ISOLATED AND/OR QUARANTINED DEPENDING ON IF THEY HAVE SYMPTOMS OR A FEVER. WE CONTINUALLY MONITOR THE INMATES FOR SYMPTOMS AND WE PROVIDE MASKS TO TINMATES. WE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CLEANING ITEMS FOR THE INMATES TO CLEAN THEIR AREAS AND, AGAIN, THEY HAVE ACCESS TO MEDICAL PERSONNEL 24-7. FOR OUR ACTUAL FACILITY, WE SANITIZE AND CLEAN CONTINUALLY. WE TOOK IN POSSESSION THIS PAST WEEKEND A DISINFECTANT FOGGER WE'RE UTILIZING THROUGHOUT THE JAIL WITH AN ADDITIONAL CLEANER THAT HAPPENS TWO OR THREE TIMES A DAY. WE ARE UTILIZING NEGATIVE AIRFLOW CELLS. WE ARE SANITIZING ALL DISHWARE AND UTENSILS AFTER EACH USE. ALL OUR INMATE PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN SUSPENDING. WE HAVE LIMITED OUR INMATE WORK CREWS, AND WE ISOLATE AND/OR [00:10:01] QUARANTINE ANY INMATES THAT AGAIN HAVE TESTED POSITIVE, REFUSED TESTING OR SHOW ANY SYMPTOMS. WE HAVE HAD THESE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES IN PLACE, AND WE CONTINUE TO KEEP THOSE IN PLACE AND ADD THESE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS. AS HEATHER STATED, WE WILL DO ADDITIONAL TESTING IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. THAT'S THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE CLAY COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY AND, AT THIS POINT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE COUNTY MANAGER. >> ALL RIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I WANT TO THANK OUR NEWLY-ELECTED SHERIFF MICHELLE COOK. WE APPRECIATE THE STRONG PARTNERSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HER OFFICE AND THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE TIRELESSLY WORKED SINCE MARCH TO KEEP US SAFE DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THE UNIFIED COMMAND TEAM CONTINUES TO BE STRONG AND COMMITTED TO LEAD US THROUGH THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES. TOGETHER WE WORK DAILY TO REOPEN, REHIRE AND REUNITE CLAY COUNTY. WE REMAIN IN STEP WITH GOVERNOR DESANTIS' SAFE, SMART, STEP-BY-STEP PLAN AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR DOING YOUR YOUR PART. WE'RE UNDER STILL A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS WEEKEND AS NECESSARY. AVOID CONGREGATIONS OR GROUP LARGER THAN 50. SENIOR CITIZENS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH SIGNIFICANT UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO AVOID CROWDS AND TO LIMIT THEIR RISK TO THE COVID 19 VIRUS. FINALLY, PLEASE CONTINUE TO USE THE CLAY COUNTY SWITCH BOARD AT 904-284-6300 TO MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO CONDUCT BUSINESS HERET AT THE ADMIN BUILDING. THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY PROCESS FROM THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC MAY TAKE A LONG TIME. FEDERAL FUNDS ARE BASED UPON POPULATION. PLEASE, LET'S ALL DO OUR PART AND BE COUNTED AND VISIT 2020CENSUS.GOV. THANK YOU ALL, STAY SAFE AND WE'LL NOW OPEN FOR QUESTIONS. YES, MA'AM. >> (INAUDIBLE). >> OKAY. >> YES, MA'AM. >> (INAUDIBLE). >> OUR DETENTION DEPUTIES. YES, MA'AM, WE HAVE EIGHT OF THOSE. >> UNDERSTOOD. AND YOU ARE MATCHING TWO WEEKS FOR TESTING, SO WHEN DID THAT START? WHY IS THERE A TWO-WEEK SEPARATION. [INDISCERNIBLE] -- UNUN. >> I [INDISCERNIBLE] >> I DEFER TO THE COUNT HEALTH OFFICER. >> WITH COVID 19, THE INFECTIOUS PERIOD IS 14 DAYS. IF WE TESTED EVERYONE, WE MAY CATCH NEGATIVES TRULY IN THE EARLY PART OF THE VIRUS. WE CALL THEM FALSE NEGATIVES. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SHED ENOUGH PROTEINS TO TEST POSITIVE. WE'RE HOPING ANYTIME ANYONE IS SYMPTOMATIC WE CAN TEST THEM, BUT AS FAR AS DOING A CONGREGATE SETTING, EWE'RE DOING THAT EVERY TWO WEEKS TO CATCH THOSE THAT MAY BE IN THE FALSE NEGATIVE RANGE AND ALSO SOME OF THE NEW INMATES THAT COME IN. UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS THE TESTING, AS YOU'VE HEARD OVER AND OVER FROM US, RELATED TO IF I CATCH YOU THIS ONE TIME THAT'S THE BE-ALL AND END-ALL, THAT'S NOT THE CASE. WE CAN DO SYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE TWO-WEEK PERIOD. THAT'S WHAT WE'VE USED IN THE CONGREGATIONAL SETTINGS IS TESTING IN THE FORMAT TO CAPTURE THOSE ALONG WITH THE INCREASED INFECTION CONTROL PRACTICES, BUT BE ABLE TO CATCH THOSE THAT MAY BE ASYMPTOMATIC FOR SURE. >> DO WE KNOW IF THE ASYMPTOMATIC CASE NUMBERS SO FAR? >> YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT? >> YEAH. CURRENTLY IN THE FACILITY, 156 POSITIVES ARE SHOWING SOME SYMPTOMS. WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY THAT'S IN SEVERE MEDICAL DISTRESS, BUT ALL OUR FOLKS ARE SHOWING SOME SYMPTOMS. IT COULD BE A RUNNY NOSE OR SLIGHT COUGH. >> CAN YOU GO INTO THE DETAIL OF ISOLATION OF THE (INDISCERNIBLE (INDISCERNIBLE). >> I'M GOING TO CALL DIRECTOR TO TALK ABOUT THAT, THE DIRECTOR OF CORRECTIONS, AND HE CAN SPEAK TO THAT. [00:15:03] CHRIS. >> CHRIS COLDIRON. WE HAVE AN INITIAL ISOLATION PERIOD OF SEVEN DAYS, EXTENDED TO 14 DAYS. SO WITH EXTENDING THAT TO 14 DAYS, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE A CERTAIN CELL BLOCK AREA. ONCE THE TWO WEEKS IS UP, HOPEFULLY THE NEW TESTING WILL BE COMING IN, SO IF THEY'RE POSITIVE, WE CAN PUT THEM IN A DORM WITH OTHER POSITIVE I MATES. IF THEY'RE NEGATIVE, WE PUT THEM IN THE DORM WITH THE NEGATIVE INMATES. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> YES. >> WHAT'S THE TURN AROUND TIME FOR (INDISCERNIBLE). >> WE'VE DONE WELL WITH TESTING. AT THIS POINT WE'RE FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS OUT. NOW WE'RE 36 TO 48 HOURS OUT, SO THE TESTING IS TURNING AROUND FAIRLY QUICKLY NOW. SO THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEM QUICKLY, GET THEM ISOLATED, DO CONTACT TRACING AND THAT WAY WE CAN LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF EXPOSURES. >> HOW MANY BEDS ARE IN A CELL BLOCK? >> WE HAVE ABOUT EIGHT DIFFERENT TYPE OF CELL BLOCKS. WE HAVE SOME THAT HAVE TEN BEDS, WE HAVE SOME WITH 67 BEDS, AND WE HAVE SOME WITH SINGLE BEDS. IN OUR CONFINEMENT, SINGLE BEDS, MEDICAL SINGLE BEDS. IN OPEN DORM, WE HAVE SEVERAL THAT ARE 67-PLUS INMATES IN EACH ONE. IT MAKES DIFFERENT CHALLENGING COMPONENTS FOR US TO DO THE SEPARATION THAT WE NEED TO DO. >> HOW MANY ARE IN A BLOCK THAT ARE. (INDISCERNIBLE)? >> WELL, AT THE DORMS WE HAVE SEPARATE, WE HAVE 156 INMATES ISOLATED FROM EVERYONE ELSE BUT THEY'RE IN GROUP HOUSING TOGETHER. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> YES, THE 104 IN DETENTION SECURITY. >> THANK YOU. >> 156, THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THOSE WHO HAVE REFUSED TESTING, OR DOES IT? >> NO, IT DOES NOT. WE'VE HAD ABOUT 60 OR 70 THAT HAVE REFUSED TESTING, BUT WE TREAT THEM AS IF THEY ARE POSITIVE, SO THEY ARE PUT INTO THE POSITIVE GROUP. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY AT THIS POINT. >> DO THEY COUNT WITH THE 156. >> NO, THEY DON'T. >> JUST ISOLATED THE SAME. >> YES, SIR. >> 156-PLUS MEANING THE 70 ARE ISOLATED. >> RIGHT. AND I LIKE TO DEPEND OUR DETENTION FOLKS, FIRST, FOR GOING SO LONG WITHOUT COVID 19 BEING INTRODUCE INTO THE FACILITY. THAT'S REMARKABLE, CONSIDERING OUR GENERAL POPULATION SITS BETWEEN THE 740 AND 790 RANGE. TO GO FROM MARCH TO MID OR EARLY SEPTEMBER BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GET A CASE OF COVID INTRODUCED, AND THEN VERY QUICKLY, AS SOON AS WE REALIZED WE HAD IT, THEY WERE ON TOP OF IT, PUTTING THESE ADDITIONAL MEASURES IN PLACE TO QUARANTINE AND ISOLATE THOSE THAT HAVE TESTED POSITIVE, GETTING THE TESTING IN THERE, TAKING THE ADDITIONAL STEPS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS CLEANED THOROUGHLY EVEN MORE. SO FROM THE TIME THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS TILL THE TIME THEY WERE PUTTING MEASURES IN PLACE WAS WITHIN HOURS. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> INMATES WILL BE TESTED EVERY TWO WEEKS. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> WELL, IT ROTATES, YEAH. >> SO JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THE TESTING. SO WE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF POSITIVES, AND THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED DOING MORE TESTING. WE HAD ALWAYS JUST BEEN DOING SYMPTOMATIC OR WE WERE DOING TESTING BASED ON AND WHEN INMATES WERE ALSO GOING TO ANOTHER RECEIVING FACILITY, THOSE RECEIVING FACILITIES WERE MANDATING NEGATIVE TESTS. AS WE IDENTIFIED POSITIVE CASES, WE HAVE REALIZED WE NEEDED TO DO MORE TESTING. SO WE SIMPLY DON'T JUST GO IN AND TEST, YOU KNOW, IN A TYPE OF SETTING LIKE THAT. SO AS WE REALIZE THERE WAS AN OUTBREAK GOING ON, WE WENT INTO TESTING, SO WE'RE WRAPPING UPT THAT TESTING NOW. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ALMOST 500 PEOPLE, THAT'S A LARGE AMOUNT. IT IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS DRIVE-THROUGH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. SO WE'RE WRAPPING THAT UP TODAY. THAT'S WHAT THE TWO-MEMBER TEAM FROM MY STAFF AND THE TESTING SITE WENT OVER TO ASSIST WITH. THEN THEY WILL BE ON THE TWO-WEEK ROTATION STARTING NEXT WEEK. SO A LITTLE SHY OF TWO WEEKS. SOME WILL BE A LITTLE OVER, SOME LESS THAN THE TWO WEEKS, THEN WE'LL START THE ROTATIONS TO CAPTURE THOSE ONES AND WE'RE HOPING THAT WILL BE THE END OF THE TESTING BASED ON HOW MANY CASES ARE IDENTIFIED IN TWO WEEKS. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY ISSUES. >> AND SOME OF OUR DORMS, WE ARE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING VISITATION PODS SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY DO THE VIDEO VISITATION. SO WITH THAT -- WITH THE TIME FRAME AND THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO TALK TO THEM, THAT WOULD BE THE AREAS THAT WE WOULD HAVE CONCERN [00:20:01] WITH THAT, BUT THE PHONES HAVE NOT BEEN CUT OFF. THERE WAS A TECHNICAL ERROR TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AGO WHERE IT WAS DOWN FOR A DAY AND A HALF, BUT THAT WAS UNRELATED TO THE PANDEMIC. IT WAS A TECHNICAL ISSUE WITH OUR VENDOR. (INDISCERNIBLE). >> WE DO A LINEN EXCHANGE TWICE A WEEK, THAT'S CLOTHING AND LINENS AND MASKS CHANGED TWICE A WEEK. WE CHANGED THE WASHING CHEMICALS USED FOR THEM, AND THE MATTRESSES ARE CLEANED AT THE SAME TIME. THE TABLES AND COMMON AREAS ARE CLEANED THREE TIMES A DAY IN THE CELL BLOCKS. IT'S A VERY CONCERTED EFFORT ON STAFF AND EVEN INMATES, WANTING TO MAKE SURE THEIR AREA IS VERY CLEAN. >> ARE YOU ABLE TO NARROW DOWN WHERE THE OUTBREAK MAY HAVE STARTED (INDISCERNIBLE). >> IT WOULD BE UNFAIR FOR ME TO MAKE AN ASSUMPTION ON THAT BECAUSE OF HOW LONG THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN AROUND. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A STAFF MEMBER, IT COULD HAVE BEEN SOMEONE WHO HAD CONTACT WITH AN ATTORNEY THAT CAME IN AT ONE POINT IN TIME. THERE WOULD BE NO WAY FOR US TO TECHNICALLY NARROW IT DOWN TO PATIENT ZERO. >> WE CALL IT INDEX PATIENT. SO, YES, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO -- WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF INTERVIEWING THE INMATES. SOMETIMES WITH THE TESTING IT'S A LITTLE PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE TESTED FIRST DOESN'T MEAN THEY HAD IT FIRST. BECAUSE WHEN THEY TEST POSITIVE WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE ON DAY THREE OR 14. SO IT'S THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG THAT CAME FIRST. SO WE'RE STILL DOING THOSE INTERVIEWS. LIKE I SAID, I HAD A THREE-MEMBER TEAM GO IN ON FRIDAY AND WE INTERVIEW EACH INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS POSITIVE. WE STILL DO THE NORMAL INTERVIEW. BASED ON THE DATA IS WHEN WE TRY TO IDENTIFY THE START OF THE OUTBREAK. WE DO KNOW IT WAS IN MULTIPLE DORMS, SO WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TRY TO WORK WITH DIRECTOR COLDIRON THIS WEEK AND LAST WEEK AND LOOK AT HOW WE QUARANTINE TEEN THOSE INDIVIDUALS. WHEN PEOPLE COME IN, WE DON'T KNOW THEIR STATUS AND BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SYMPTOMATIC AND GETTING THEM TESTED PROMPTLY SO WE CAN ISOLATE THEM. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> YOU SHOULD DO A TOUR. WE HAVE TO ISOLATE THE INMATES WITH THE TYPE OF PATIENT AND OTHER PERSONNEL THERE IS. TO SAY WE CAN'T HAVE ANY INMATE MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE JAIL IS IMPOSSIBLE. SO WE'VE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL DIFFERENT CELL BLOCKS OF IDENTIFIED TYPE OF INMATES WE'LL HAVE IN THERE SO IT GIVES US OPTIONS AND WHERE WE CAN PUT THEM AND WHERE WE CAN'T PUT THEM. >> I WOULDN'T HAVE THAT NUMBER RIGHT NOW. >> YOU THEY DID THERE'S REPORTED ABOUT 4,500 CASES IN THE COUNTY. >> YES, SIR. >> HOW MANY ACTIVE CASES? >> WE DON'T TRACK RECOVERY DATA BECAUSE THAT DEFINITION IS FUZZY, A VERY SUBJECTIVE RECOVERY. SO WE DON'T TRACK RECOVERY. IDEALLY WE COULD GO OVER A 14-DAY PERIOD AND SAY THESE PEOPLE ARE CURRENTLY IN AN INFECTIOUS PROCESS. IN JUNE AND JULY IN THE TOP MONTHS, OVER 100 CASES A DAY, VERSUS NOW WHEN WE DID QUITE A BIT OF JAIL TESTING WE WERE RUNNING IN THE 20S AND 30S A DAY. SO YOU CAN SEE A THIRD OF THE NUMBERS WE WERE SEEING IN THE PEAK IN JUNE AND JULY. THE OTHER INTERESTING THING IS WE WERE VERY CONCERNED WITH LABOR DAY, WE HAD HUGE UPTICKS WITH MEMORIAL DAY AND FOURTH OF JULY, A LOT OF PEOPLE GATHERED WHEN WE PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE, SO WE WERE CONCERNED WITH THAT WITH LABOR DAY. WE HAVE NOT SEEN THAT AND WE'RE NOT QUITE TO THE 14-DAY WINDOW YET. WE'VE NOT SEEN AN UPTAKE IN CLAY COUNTY FOR THE TYPE OF GATHERING THAT HAPPENS ON THOSE HOLIDAYS. >> TRACK SCHOOLS? >> WE TRACK SCHOOLS. WE HAVE BEEN DOING CASE INVESTIGATIONS. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK ON THEIR BEHALF, THEY WILL DO A TRANSPARENT DASHBOARD. THE STATE IS WORKING ON A DASHBOARD RELATED TO SCHOOLS AND THE GOVERNOR HAS ASKED FOR THAT. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR SYSTEM DOESN'T HAVE DATA READILY [00:25:02] AVAILABLE TO PULL DATA OUT OF IN THAT AMERICAN. WE'VE NEVER HAD A PANDEMIC SO WE'VE NEVER HAD THIS AMOUNT OF VOLUME. SO WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT. BUT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION WITH US. I TALKED TO THE STAFF THREE, FOUR, TWELVES TIMES A DAY, DEPENDS ON WHAT'S GOING ON. WE TRIED TO TROUBLESHOOT ALL THOSE CASES, LOOK FOR ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON, IDENTIFY THOSE STUDENTS QUICKLY, MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL. IF THEY'RE IN A QUARANTINE OR ISOLATION ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT'S NOT HAPPENING, AND WE'VE DONE VERY WELL SO FAR, KNOCK ON WOOD, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURET THAT WE CONTINUE ON THAT SAME TREND. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> WE DO HAVE AIRFLOW ISSUES IN A JAIL, WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO GET SOME RESOLVED, BRING IN SOME ADDITIONAL AIR HANDLERS TO PUSH THE AIR YARNED. BUT WE HAVE ISSUES, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY AND GETTING CHILLERS REPLACED IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. BUT WE HAVE ISSUES, BUT IT'S NOT UNBEARABLE AND NOT VERY COMFORTABLE. >> EVEN DURING THE PANDEMIC YES. >> (INDISCERNIBLE). >> I WOULD SAY A THIRD OF IT. I MEAN, I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE EXACT DORMS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH BUT IT'S ABOUT A THIRD. >> THANK Y'ALL. >> GOO * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.