A Bloomington firefighter tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, the fourth city employee to be diagnosed with the virus, according to a city press release. Eleven firefighters who may have been exposed to the virus after a firefighter tested positive last week were identified through contact tracing and tested. Ten tested negative.
The firefighter who tested positive was put on paid leave Friday and is asymptomatic so far. If the employee is asymptomatic for 72 hours, the employee may be cleared to return to work by July 4.
The firefighter who tested positive last week is still in quarantine but may return to work July 1 if the employee remains asymptomatic. The firefighter was already on leave for a week with symptoms before the test results came back positive.
The city is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and Indiana State Department of Health guidelines as well as Bloomington Fire Department protocols for contact tracing. Through contact tracing, the city determined that members of the public were not exposed to the virus by either firefighter who tested positive.
