Four city employees tested positive for COVID-19 between Friday and Monday, according to a Monday press release from the City of Bloomington.
The employees work at the City of Bloomington’s Public Works Department, City of Bloomington Utilities and Bloomington Transit.
Since the start of the pandemic, eight CBU employees and five BT staff, four of whom are drivers, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the release. The total number of positive diagnoses in city workers since the beginning of the pandemic has risen to 32, including employees of municipal corporations CBU and BT.
The PWD employee, who is the first member of the Street Division to test positive, experienced symptoms Nov. 24, was tested Wednesday and Friday and received a positive result Saturday. The employee has been on leave and self-isolating since Nov. 20, and no close contacts were found in the employee’s coworkers or members of the public, according to the release. The employee does not normally interact with the public while working.
Two CBU employees tested positive, according to the release. An employee at the Blucher Poole Wastewater Treatment Plant took a viral test Nov. 24 and received a positive result while asymptomatic Friday. The other employee, who works in the city water utility’s Transmission and Distribution Division, started experiencing symptoms Nov. 22, was tested Nov. 24 and received a positive result Monday, according to the release.
Neither employee interacts with the public in the course of their work and the employees are currently isolated on paid leave, according to the release.
Both CBU employees’ co-workers who were identified as close contacts within Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines have been notified and cleaning protocols have been completed at each employee’s work site. The employee working at the Blucher Poole Wastewater Treatment Plant who tested positive was not identified as a close contact of the city water utility’s Transmission and Distribution Division employee, according to the release.
A BT bus driver started to experience symptoms Nov. 23 and received a positive viral test result Friday. The driver has not worked since Nov. 23 and is currently on paid leave, according to the release.
The employee drove on Routes 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 between Nov. 9 and 23 and had no close contact with passengers for more than 15 minutes or within six feet. The employee was also separated by a plexiglass shield, according to the release.
Passengers, except those in wheelchairs, mobility devices or those who need the front door kneeling feature, are required to board busses through rear doors, a measure made effective Nov. 23. All vehicles are cleaned twice a day with special disinfecting equipment, according to the release.
An additional City employee received a positive antibody test result, according to the release.
