MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MASS COVID-19 TESTING CENTER PROVIDES PRO-ACTIVE CORONAVIRUS TESTING FOR MCSO DEPUTIES AND STAFF
On-site Testing Mitigates Spread of the Virus; Identifies COVID-19 Positive Individuals and Exposed Individuals Recommended for Quarantine
Rochester, NY (January 11, 2021) – On December 21, 2020, as part of proactive measures to further mitigate the risk of the Coronavirus from entering the security envelope of the Monroe County Jail (MCJ), the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office developed and launched a COVID-19 testing site, operational inside the Monroe County Public Safety Building. All MCSO deputies and staff entering the jail are administered a Coronavirus rapid test in a safe and central environment. The move comes on the heels of Sheriff Todd Baxter’s decision last month to continuously test 100-percent of incarcerated individuals inside the MCJ, in an effort to obtain the most accurate and conclusive snapshot of the virus inside the jail.
As our mission progressed, MCSO expanded the testing opportunity to all MCSO employees who desire a test. Our deputies and staff worked diligently to create this seamless process, pre-test holding area, testing site, and post-test evaluation area. Individuals identified as COVID-positive are immediately placed on a 14- day isolation at home, exceeding the recommended Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Individuals who test negative return to work.
“This efficient measure which offers all of our deputies and staff the opportunity to be tested for Coronavirus helps prevent further spread of the virus by identifying COVID-positive individuals, some of whom may be asymptomatic, and those who may have been exposed to the virus,” said Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter. “I am proud of the efforts of our men and women who researched and developed the Mass COVID19 Testing Center, as we all do our part to help stop the spread of this virus in our community.”
To date, 1216 MCSO tests have been administered at the MCSO Mass COVID-19 Testing Center with 25 COVID-positive individuals proactively identified, the majority of whom were asymptomatic.