State worker in Tumwater tests positive for COVID-19
An employee for the state agency that provides updates on COVID-19, or coronavirus, has tested positive for the respiratory illness, the Department of Health announced Thursday.
The worker, who is in their 50s, was announced Wednesday as Thurston County’s first confirmed case, spokeswoman Amy Reynolds said.
On Thursday, DOH said the employee last worked on March 6 and had no symptoms. But over that weekend, the worker began to feel sick and followed up with their doctor.
“They took immediate action to isolate themselves, which drastically reduced exposure to others,” DOH officials said in a news release.
DOH says the worker will remain at home to recover. Meanwhile, county public health officials have contacted 10 DOH employees who were “cosidered to be close contacts” of the worker.
“Anyone determined to have had close contact will be asked to self-quarantine at home for 14 days,” DOH announced.
DOH also says it has cleaned and disinfected the “few places the employee worked last week.”
Other DOH employees have been notified about the situation and provided resources on COVID-19, the agency said.
“DOH is asking employees and others to practice compassion and respect for the privacy of this employee and others who may be self-quarantined,” the news release reads.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 3:54 PM.
