The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) sent recommendations to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and the Office of Juvenile Justice on Wednesday in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. One recommendation is to work with justice system officials to reduce the prison population.

“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,” the LDH statement said.

Correctional and detention centers are strongly encouraged to take the following steps:

• 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

• 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.