JIC RELEASE NO. 384 - Three GDOE Employees Test Positive for COVID-19;Sinajana Mayor’s Office Closed on Friday, October 9 - GHS OCD

For information on COVID-19 cases, visit the COVID-19 Dashboard and Situation Report at http://dphss.guam.gov/covid-19/. The COVID-19 Dashboard is updated on business days.

Three GDOE Employees Test Positive for COVID-19
On October 7, 2020 and October 8, 2020, the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) confirmed that three additional GDOE employees tested positive for COVID-19. Two of the confirmed cases were identified at P.C. Lujan Elementary School and one case was identified at Chief Brodie Memorial Elementary School (CBMES). All three were identified through contact tracing efforts.

The GDOE is working closely with the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) to conduct contact tracing and any close contacts of the confirmed cases will be contacted directly by DPHSS. A close contact is an individual who has come in face-to-face contact with a confirmed COVID-19 individual for at least 10 minutes or more and within six feet, or who has had direct contact with infectious secretions of the confirmed COVID-19 individual (e.g. being coughed on).

Areas of the campuses will be identified for cleaning and disinfecting as needed. Employees will not have access to these areas until cleaning has been completed. Because the CBMES case had not previously accessed the campus, CBMES will not require cleaning. Hard copy packet and food distribution will continue uninterrupted.

Sinajana Mayor’s Office Closed on Friday, October 9
Sinajana Mayor’s Office personnel were notified of potential exposure to confirmed positive COVID-19 cases. As a precaution to the public, the office closed at noon today, and will remain closed through Friday, October 9. The office has undergone sanitization by a professional contractor, and office personnel are in self-quarantine until test results deem them safe to report for duty.

Meal delivery services for the Man’åmko' normally provided by the mayor’s staff was performed by DPHSS. Additionally, residents requiring assistance from the mayor’s office can send requests via email to sinajanamayorsoffice@gmail.com.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit dphss.guam.gov or guamrecovery.com. For inquiries on COVID-19, contact 311 through a local number, or call the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.

JIC RELEASE NO. 384 - Three GDOE Employees Test Positive for COVID-19;Sinajana Mayor’s Office Closed on Friday, October 9