(BLOOMINGTON) – A Bloomington Fire Department (BFD) employee has received a positive result of a COVID-19 viral test. The employee began experiencing mild symptoms on Wednesday, December 2, and received the positive result the same day.
Having last worked Monday, November 30, the employee is taking paid leave to recover. The employee is the fifth member of the BFD to receive a positive COVID-19 viral test result; the BFD’s previous COVID case was reported on October 26.
An internal contact tracing process conducted by the BFD according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) guidelines determined that no co-workers had been placed at risk of exposure to COVID-19 through this employee. It was also ascertained that no members of the public had been placed at risk of exposure by the employee in the course of their work. Additional BFD protocols completed include decontamination of the station and apparatus that the affected employee came into contact with, and messaging to employees to reinforce protocols in place to limit spread.
This announcement marks the 36th positive COVID-19 viral test result reported by City workers, including those employed by the municipal corporations that operate the water utility (City of Bloomington Utilities) and transit system (Bloomington Transit). An additional City employee reported a positive COVID-19 antibody test result.
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 updates about confirmed cases among staff while protecting employees’ privacy.
