Four City Workers Receive Positive COVID-19 Results

Bloomington, Ind. - One City Hall employee, one employee of the Department of Public Works, and two City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) employees have reported receiving positive results of COVID-19 viral tests over the last week. None of the employees had been identified as a close contact of a previous COVID-19 case at the City. Details of each case are as follows:

• One CBU employee began experiencing symptoms on Saturday, January 9, receiving a positive result on Friday, January 22 of a test administered Wednesday, January 20. No close contacts were identified among the employee’s co-workers or the general 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 the employee’s workspace and shared areas were completed.  

• A second CBU employee (who works in a different division from the aforementioned) began experiencing symptoms on Tuesday, January 26, and was tested Wednesday, January 27, receiving a positive result the same day. No close contacts were identified among co-workers or the general public. Cleaning protocols of the employee’s workspace and shared areas were completed.  

• A Public Works employee who works in Parking Enforcement received a positive result Monday, January 25 of a test administered Friday, January 22. The employee is asymptomatic. A co-worker identified as a close contact has been notified. No close contacts were identified among the general public. Cleaning protocols of the employee’s workspace, shared areas, and vehicle were completed. [Please note correction: a previous announcement inaccurately described this employee's department as the Bloomington Police Department. As of January 1, 2021, parking enforcement is housed within the Parking Services division of the City's Department of Public Works.]

• A City Hall employee began experiencing symptoms on Saturday, January 23, was tested Monday, January 25, and received a positive result Tuesday, January 26. No close contacts were identified among the employee’s co-workers or the general public. Cleaning protocols of the employee’s workspace and shared areas were completed.  

Today’s announcement brings to 66 the total number of positive COVID-19 viral test results that have been reported since the start of the pandemic by City workers, including those employed by the municipal corporations that operate the water utility (CBU) and transit system (BT). An additional City employee reported a positive COVID-19 antibody test result. A department-specific chart of COVID-19 cases among City employees, together with other City-related COVID-19 news, may be found 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.