ELDORA, Iowa — Just one day before being eligible for a Phase 3 reopening, a staff member at the Boys State Training School tested positive for COVID-19. Now, all students and staff on campus have been tested and are now waiting for all results to come back.
So far, five staff members have coronavirus; six have recovered. 12 students have been infected with the disease. 21 test results from staff and students have yet to come back.
According to a report from the Department of Human Services, the first student to test positive was on July 23. The student was removed from his cottage and separated from other students. That's when mass testing occurred, and cottages were deep cleaned and disinfected.
Students were offered masks and nurses were instructed to explain the importance of wearing a mask. According to DHS, there is no re-use of personal protective equipment at the facility at this time, and staff are required to use surgical, procedural, or N95 masks - not cloth masks.
Because of the positive cases, the training school is back in Phase 1 of the reopening process, which means on-campus visits are temporarily suspended and virtual visits will be available.
In the below chart provided by DHS, you can see more than 2,000 staff at DHS' six facilities have been tested since the coronavirus pandemic began. Total test counts reflect multiple tests for some individuals.
The first resident to be confirmed COVID-19 positive at any of DHS’ six facilities was at Woodward Resource Center on May 1.
"Each DHS facility has developed contingency staffing plans to ensure safe staffing levels are met. The goal of DHS policy related to potential exposure and staying home when sick is to significantly limit the risk of exposure to other employees and those we serve," said the department in a release.
You can read the full release from the department below.