With more than 300 children stuck in COVID-19 quarantine at facilities licensed by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, this holiday season may bring limited cheer or face-to-face contact with parents and siblings.
Since April, 636 children and youth have tested positive for COVID-19 in facilities connected with DCS – 144 of them since Dec. 1.
The facilities, all 24-hour residential settings, include privately-run treatment centers providing mental health and other services to abused and neglected children as well as youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
They also include county detention centers and the DCS-run Wilder Youth Development Center outside Memphis, a secure facility for those who have had multiple brushes with the law.
The holidays can bring a chance for family visits and celebrations or a home pass for a short trip home.