GP goes on ‘high alert’

Posted on June 3, 2020

The Georgia-Pacific (GP) Foley mill moved to “Level 3-High Alert” operations after a second employee tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) over this past weekend.

“We were notified on Saturday (May 30) that a GP-Foley employee tested positive with symptoms for COVID-19,” GP-Foley Public Affairs Manager Scott Mixon said.

According to Mixon, the employee has not been on site at the GP-Foley mill since Tuesday, May 26.

GP-Foley mill “immediately conducted a risk assessment of potential exposure to other mill employees and identified others who had close contact with the affected employee.”

“As a precaution, several employees who worked in close proximity with this individual are self-isolating at home for 14 days from their last date of potential exposure per the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),” Mixon said. “Their work areas and break rooms are isolated and disinfected.”

This marks the second COVID-19 positive case of a current GP-Foley employee to be reported in less than a week.

As a result, GP-Foley has moved to “Level 3-High Alert: Confirmed COVID-19 Diagnosis,” which closely resembles GP’s weekend operations, where there are fewer day shift and salaried employees on site.

On May 28, GP-Foley reported they were notified that an employee had tested positive for coronavirus.

“The employee has not been present at the mill, working from home for close to one month,” Mixon said at the time.

Similarly, GP-Foley conducted a risk assessment of potential exposure to other employees. As a precaution, one additional employee was sent home to self-isolate for 14 days per CDC guidelines.

According to Mixon, GP remains focused on proactive prevention and “the safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers.”

“We have notified the appropriate corporate officials, and we continue to work closely with local public health authorities and the Florida Department of Health to provide the necessary support for the entire Foley workforce. We will proactively investigate any concern or question about potential exposure and keep our employees informed,” Mixon said.

According to the Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) 11 a.m. Tuesday update, Taylor County now has 22 confirmed coronavirus cases – up from 16 last week – which includes three coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

The most recent cases from May 27 to June 1 include:

• 20-year-old male,

• 56-year-old male,

• 42-year-old male,

• 23-year-old female,

• 27-year-old female,

• 42-year-old female,

• 30-year-old male and

• 25-year-old male.

According to figures released by the DOH at 11 a.m. Tuesday, 1,035 people in Taylor County had been tested for coronavirus. There were zero pending test results as of press time.

Of the completed tests, 1,012 have been returned negative for coronavirus, while only 2.1% (22) of the tests have been returned positive. One test was inconclusive.

All four of Taylor County’s direct neighbors – Jefferson, Madison, Dixie and Lafayette – have also had at least 2.1% of the tested population test positive for coronavirus.

Madison has the highest infection rate of Taylor County’s direct neighbors with 69 positive cases. Of the 69 positive cases, Madison has reported four deaths and four hospitalizations.

Test results have been returned on 1,134 Madison County residents, with zero tests pending and two tests returned inconclusive. Of those tested, 6.1% have been returned positive.

To date, Jefferson has tested 699 people with 29 positive tests (4.1%). Jefferson has reported three subsequent deaths and seven hospitalizations.

In Dixie, 973 people have been tested, yielding 54 positive test results (5.5%). Two deaths and nine hospitalizations have occurred as a result.

At 382 returned tests, Lafayette County has tested the least amount of people, of which eight have tested positive. Of the Lafayette population that has been tested, 2.1% have tested positive.

State-wide, Florida has surpassed 57,000 cases as of Tuesday’s 11 a.m. update. Of the 57,447, more than 10,400 have been hospitalized and 2,530 have died due to COVID-19.

The number of new cases reported in Florida each day appears to be holding steady at around 600-800 new cases reported each day, with occasional peaks of 1,000.

Over the past two weeks, that number has ranged from a low of 475 on May 19 to a high of 1,225 on May 28.

Of the seven most recent days with complete data, new positive tests have numbered: 480 (May 26), 617 (May 27), 1,225 (May 28), 760 (May 29), 878 (May 30), 713 (May 31) and 611 (June 1).

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