BLOOMINGTON – One Bloomington Fire Department (BFD) employee and one Parks and Recreation employee reported receiving positive results of COVID-19 viral tests over the last week. None of the employees was a close contact of a previous COVID-19 case at the City.
- The BFD employee began experiencing symptoms on Thursday, April 1 and received a positive result Sunday, April 4. No close contacts were identified among the employee’s co-workers or members of the public. (Close contact is defined by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as someone who was within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from two days before illness onset–or, for asymptomatic clients, two days prior to positive specimen collection–until the time the patient is isolated.) Cleaning protocols of areas in the station and apparatus that the affected employee came into contact with have been completed. This is the 15th case reported by employees of the BFD, more cases than any other City unit.
- The Parks and Recreation employee, who works at the Twin Lakes Sports Park, began experiencing symptoms on Monday, April 5, and received a positive test result on Wednesday, April 7. Co-workers who may have been exposed to COVID-19 as close contacts of this employee have been identified and notified. No close contacts were identified among the general public, with whom the employee does not regularly interact in their work. Cleaning protocols of shared workspace, equipment, and vehicles the employee used have been completed. Â
Today’s announcement marks 77 positive COVID-19 viral test results reported since the start of the pandemic by City workers, including those employed by the municipal corporations that operate the water utility (City of Bloomington Utilities) and transit system (Bloomington Transit), and public housing (Bloomington Housing Authority).
Sixteen total cases were reported during the eight months from March through October 2020.
That monthly rate rose more than eight-fold in November, when 17 cases were reported within the single month, and rose another 29 percent in December (22 cases).
January 2021 saw the monthly rate decline 40 percent to 13 positive cases; February’s four employee cases represented a 69 percent decline from January’s monthly rate, and the three cases reported by employees in March marked a subsequent 25 percent decline. Thus far this month, two cases have been reported.
Data about COVID-19 cases among City employees, in the county, the state, and the nation is presented on this online dashboard.
Other City-related updates about the COVID-19 pandemic are assembled here.
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 weekly updates about confirmed cases among staff while protecting employees’ privacy.
