COVID-19 Sentinel Testing
 Increased testing capacity is one of the four major components of Missouri’s Show Me Strong Recovery Plan. Sentinel testing is part of the increased testing. Sentinel testing is a term used for the strategy of testing most or all members of a large group of people living or working together in close contact, even if there are no known cases in that location. Each state correctional facility will undergo sentinel testing.
Communicable diseases such as COVID-19 can spread rapidly among people in close contact or in a confined space. Our goal is to keep Missourians in these spaces safe and healthy. Containing the spread of the virus requires quickly identifying people who might be infected, including those who are asymptomatic, and isolating them from other residents or staff. Widespread testing of a confined population gives managers and health care professionals the information they need to stop the virus within that location and keep it from spreading.
Correctional facilities already have a viral containment strategy in place, including a plan for isolating people who test positive for the virus. Anyone who tests positive and anyone with whom that person had close contact will be isolated. For staff, that means leaving the facility and isolating at home. For offenders, that means entering isolated housing at the facility.
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