(BLOOMINGTON) – A Bloomington Transit (BT) driver received a positive test result of a COVID-19 viral test on Tuesday, November 24. Having first experienced symptoms on Monday, November 16, the employee has not worked since that day and is taking paid leave to recover.
An internal contact tracing process in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines was conducted and has determined that there were no other employees or customers placed at risk of exposure by the driver. The employee drove on Route 1 during the first half of November, but did not have close contact with passengers outside of the CDC-recommended safety guidelines limiting interactions to 15 minutes and a distance of six feet. Currently, BT drivers are separated from passengers by a plexiglass shield, and passengers ride fare-free to limit contact and queuing. Effective November 23, passengers board through the rear doors of buses except in cases of passengers in wheelchairs or other mobility devices, and anyone who needs the use of the front door kneeling feature. All vehicles are cleaned twice daily using special disinfecting equipment.
Bloomington Transit is the public transportation corporation for the City of Bloomington. Today’s announcement marks the fourth reported COVID-19 diagnosis among BT staff, and the third driver. The last BT employee to have received a positive result, also a driver, was reported on October 21. This is the 28th COVID-19 diagnosis among City workers since the start of the pandemic, including those employed by Utilities and BT. An additional City employee reported a positive COVID-19 antibody test result.
Together with the City of Bloomington, BT is committed to sharing information about how its operations and workforce are affected by this public health emergency, and will continue to provide updates about confirmed cases among staff while protecting employees’ privacy.
More information on Bloomington Transit services including BT Access is available at the BT website or by phone at 336-RIDE (7433).
