Additional staff member at Santa Maria Juvenile Hall tests positive for COVID-19

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Chief Probation Officer Tanja Heitman reported on Friday that a Juvenile Institutions Officer assigned to the Santa Barbara County Probation Department’s Santa Maria Juvenile Hall (SMJH) recently tested positive for COVID-19.

In this case, the staff member had family who tested positive for the virus, so they went to their personal physician to also be tested.

The staff is currently not experiencing any symptoms and is resting at home. The department reportedly conducted contact tracing and determined one additional probation staff was potentially exposed to the virus. Their test is pending.

No youth or other staff had contact with the individual.

The Probation Department has a comprehensive COVID-19 Management Plan that addresses these situations. Employees and contractors are required to submit to temperature and health questionnaire screening prior to entering the facility and have been directed not to come to work ill.

For more information about the County of Santa
Barbara Probation Department, go to www.sbprobation.org.

For updates and breakdowns of COVID-19 cases in Santa Barbara County, click here.