FREDERIKSTED — The Virgin Islands Department of Human Services said Monday that they are immediately closing the Mars Hill Head Start location to staff (students have not been attending in person) and pausing food distribution until Thursday, March 4, 2021.
The Department of Human Services has activated its COVID-19 mitigation protocols to address confirmed COVID-19 cases among staff, to safely resume food distribution and operations next week.
Head Start team members have been notified to ensure their safety while DHS follows HIPAA guidelines to safeguard everyone’s confidentiality. The Department of Health is working to ensure that all close contacts are notified, quarantine and tested accordingly.
CURRENT ACTIONS BEING TAKEN
• A notification went out to affected staff.
• Individuals identified as close contacts will be contacted by the Department of Health for testing and ability to resume work safely
• Sanitization of all affected units are being conducted this week
• All staff are encouraged to self-quarantine and immediately contact the Department of Health and their supervisor, if they begin experiencing any of the symptoms of the coronavirus.
o V.I. DOH website: https://doh.vi.gov/
o COVID-19 Hotline: (340) 712-6299 or (340) 776-1519
DHS staff are continually encouraged to continue to maintain CDC best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19: