(BLOOMINGTON) – Three City of Bloomington employees received positive results of COVID-19 viral tests over the weekend–one employee works in the Sanitation Division of the Public Works Department and the other two are employees in the Central Emergency Dispatch Center of the Bloomington Police Department (BPD).Â
The Sanitation Division employee received a positive result on Sunday, November 15 of a COVID-19 viral test administered Thursday, November 12. The employee had been in quarantine since first experiencing symptoms Tuesday, November 10 and is currently self-isolating, per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols, and on paid leave. The employee is the first member of the Public Works Department to have received a positive COVID-19 result since the start of the pandemic.
The department has identified and notified coworkers who were close contacts per CDC guidelines that they may have been placed at risk of exposure to COVID-19 through this employee. In addition, cleaning protocols have been initiated to disinfect equipment, vehicles, and facilities with which the employee may have had contact. The employee, who mostly works outdoors, does not have interactions in the course of their work that would place members of the public at risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Also today, the City received reports of the positive results of the COVID-19 viral tests of two BPD employees who work in the Central Emergency Dispatch Center. Tested Friday, November 13, the first of these employees had been in quarantine since first experiencing symptoms Monday, November 9 and is currently self-isolating; close work contacts of this employee have been alerted. The second dispatch employee, who was tested Wednesday, November 11, had been quarantining since first experiencing symptoms Tuesday, November 10; no close work contacts were identified. Neither dispatch employee interacted with the public in their job. Equipment, vehicles, and facilities with which the employees may have had contact have been disinfected. The employees, who are both on paid leave, are the second and third members of the BPD to have received a positive COVID result since the start of the pandemic.
Today’s announcement marks the 18th, 19th, and 20th COVID-19 diagnoses among City workers since the start of the pandemic, including those employed by Utilities and Bloomington Transit. An additional City employee reported a positive COVID-19 antibody test result.
The incidence of three new COVID-19 cases within the City’s workforce within one week, the rising COVID-19 numbers at the state and county levels, and the potential for increased transmission over the coming holidays has prompted the City’s Continuity of City Government group to evaluate current protocols and consider new guidelines that will best allow the City to continue delivering services while protecting the health of employees and the greater community.
The City of Bloomington is committed to sharing information about how its operations and workforce are affected by this public health emergency, and will continue to provide updates about confirmed cases among staff while protecting employees’ privacy.
