7 Major Coronavirus Developments — Want to Know If a Business Has an Outbreak? — April 27, 2020
Monday, April 27, 2020
What to know if the restaurant that you pickup takeout has had a mass breakout of coronavirus?
The Rhode Island Department of Health is not going to tell you.
Want to know if the facility you work at has a breakout?
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNo, that is not public information either, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health.
The Department of Health says that the agency is using contact tracing to identify individuals and those they have come in contact with.
SLIDES: See 7 Major Coronavirus Developments BELOW
How effective that program can be at this stage of the virus is questionable. Dr. Michael Fine, the former Rhode Island Director of Health said on GoLcoal LIVE that contact tracing works best at the initial outbreak and questions how effective it can be when tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders have been exposed.
WATCH AT NOON: Former Director of Health Dr. Michael Fine on GoLocal LIVE
The Department of Health admitted last week in an email to GoLocal that they are using an automated electronic strategy now as "the pool of contacts is growing so large, and because we are looking toward the next phases of the response that are going to be happening in parallel with contact tracing.”
Refusal to Release Names of Clusters
After weeks of repeated requests by GoLocal to release the names of all nursing homes with positive cases, the Health Department was forced to disclose the names of all facilities after a federal directive. When the data was finally disclosed after weeks of refusal, Rhode Islanders learned that the number of facilities impacted were 50% higher than previously disclosed.
The Health Department continues to defend its refusal to report workplaces that have had large clusters of cases.
After being contacted by numerous Rhode Islanders raising questions about workplace exposure and outbreaks, GoLocal has repeatedly sought those work environments with ten or more confirmed cases
“The known contacts of any case of COVID-19 in Rhode Island are being contacted directly by the state. We are connecting with them through our contact tracing program to ensure they have their quarantine and symptoms monitoring guidance, and follow-up is done to check on people’s symptoms. We are also contacting people’s employers so they can ensure that people are being excluded from work and so they can do any broader workforce communication, on top of the direct outreach we are doing to contacts,” said Joseph Wendelken, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Some facilities have seen massive outbreaks. Two food processing plants in Rhode Island were hit with massive outbreaks and the Department of Health only released information when one hit 100 cases and the other suffered approximately 80 cases.
Last week it was disclosed that the Taylor Farms food processing plant located at Quonset Point had 100 coronavirus cases according to the Department of Health.
“The Rhode Island Department of Health and the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation are working with the facility managers at Taylor Farms New England. There have been approximately 100 COVID-19 cases associated with this facility,” said Wendelken in a statement to GoLocal.
The facility prepares salads.
“[Taylor Farms] has not been closed. Anyone with symptoms is not at work, and all people who have COVID-19 are not at work. The facility is now mandating the use of facemasks for employees, employee temperature checks are being done at the start of every shift, and enhanced symptom screening of employees is being done,” added Wendelken.
The Department of Health only released the name of the other facility when the cases grew to approximately 80 individuals -- thus, hundreds of those individuals' family members were exposed.
"The other is Daniele Inc. is the other food processing facility. They have roughly 80 cases. The owners of this business have been very proactive. Masking of employees, screening for symptoms of all employees, and daily reporting to RIDOH have all been happening," according to Health.
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