John Bel Edwards Stephen R. Russo, JD GOVERNOR INTERIM SECRETARY State of Louisiana Louisiana Department of Health Office of Public Health TO: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY & CORRECTIONS and OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE FROM: LDH OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH Jimmy Guidry, M.D. State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry, M.D. RE: COVID-19; recommendations regarding prisons and juvenile detention centers DATE: April 8, 2020 On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC). On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States, effective January 27, 2020. Pursuant to the Louisiana Health Emergency Powers Act, R.S. 29:760, et seq., a state of public health emergency resulting from the outbreak of “coronavirus disease 2019” (COVID-19) was declared to exist in the entire State of Louisiana by Proclamation Number 25 JBE 2020. In the days since the referenced declaration of the state of the public health emergency in the state, the COVID-19 outbreak in Louisiana has expanded significantly. The number of reported cases and deaths is expected to rise significantly in the state in the coming weeks. Additional measures are necessary to protect the health and safety of the public. The measures recommended herein are in line with the best guidance and direction from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are necessary because of the ability of the COVID-19 virus to spread via personal interactions and because of physical contamination of property due to its propensity to attach to surfaces for prolonged periods of time. The Louisiana Department of Health - Office of Public Health (LDH-OPH) expressly finds that the measures recommended herein are necessary to help control and prevent further spread of COVID-19, a communicable, contagious, and infectious disease that represents a serious and imminent threat to the public health. If the following measures Bienville Building ▪ 628 N. Fourth St. ▪ P.O. Box 4489 ▪ Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821-4489 Phone: (225) 342-3417 ▪ Fax: (225) 342-7552 ▪ www.dhh.la.gov An Equal Opportunity Employer April 8, 2020 Page 2 are not taken, said infectious disease could spread within correctional and detention centers which would overwhelm the state’s medical facilities and which would cause further spread to the citizens of the State of Louisiana. Pursuant to the powers vested in the State of Louisiana – Office of Public Health by L.R.S. 40:1 et seq., I do hereby make the following recommendations: Correctional and detention centers should take safe and adequate measures to ensure that the COVID-19 coronavirus disease shall not spread within its facilities. Specifically, correctional and detention centers should: • Practice proper hand hygiene. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. • If soap and water are not readily available and illicit drugs are not suspected to be present, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol; this protocol applies to all staff, visitors, and inmates. • Refrain from touching faces with unwashed hands; this protocol applies to all staff, visitors, and inmates. • Have a trained Emergency Medical Service/Emergency Medical Technician (EMS/EMT) assess and transport anyone you think might have COVID-19 to a healthcare facility. • Ensure only trained personnel wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) have contact with individuals who have or may have COVID-19. • Separate sick individuals from other individuals in the facility, this is known as isolation. Isolate a sick individual in a specific “sick room” if possible, and away from other individuals in the facility. Use a separate bathroom, if available. • Wear a facemask when around sick individuals at the facility. • Cover coughs and sneezes. Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw used tissues in a lined trash can, then immediately wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after blowing nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food. April 8, 2020 Page 3 • Avoid sharing personal items. Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils (after using these items, wash them thoroughly with soap and water or put in the dishwasher), towels, or bedding with other individuals in the facility. • Clean high-touch surfaces in the isolation area (“sick room” and bathroom) every day while wearing a mask. Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in other areas of the facility every day. High-touch surfaces include, remote controls, counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets phones, keyboards, and tablets. • Immediately clean and disinfect areas that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them with household cleaners and disinfectants: Clean the area or item with soap and water or another detergent if it is dirty. Then, use a household disinfectant. Be sure to follow the instructions on the label to ensure safe and effective use of the product. Many products recommend keeping the surface wet for several minutes to ensure germs are killed. Many also recommend precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product. • Ensure that all inmates at correctional and detention centers, staff, and visitors maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from each other. If said distance cannot be maintained within the current prison population and if following all of the above referenced protocols does not protect correctional and detention staff, visitors, and inmates, then OPH recommends that correctional and detention centers work with the District Courts, the Public Defender’s Office, and District Attorney’s Office to reduce the size of the jail population of the least non-violent inmates in order to comply with this recommendation. Thank you for that all that you are doing in this crisis to mitigate the spread of COVID19 throughout the State of Louisiana. Sources: www.ldh.la.gov; www.cdc.gov Sincerely, Jimmy Guidry, M.D. Jimmy Guidry, MD State Health Officer Louisiana Department of Health