Nine KC Health Department Employees In Quarantine After Possible Coronavirus Exposure

From the City of Kansas City:

October 5, 2020

On Monday, Oct. 5, nine health department employees began a two-week quarantine after they were identified as contacts to two co-workers who tested positive for COVID-19.

The positive staff members were exposed to the virus outside the health department. When they learned of their exposure, they began their quarantine and later tested positive themselves. They did not have symptoms when they reported to work and passed the temperature and symptom screening upon entering the building. However, because the virus is often transmitted by people without symptoms or with very minor symptoms, their close contacts are now in quarantine.

As a reminder, public health defines close contacts as those within six feet for at least 15 minutes. This would not include any customers or patients of the health department, as the employees do not have close, direct contact with the public.

“As other businesses and organizations have discovered, when employees go into quarantine, it restricts what services they can provide their customers. We are facing that now,” said Tiffany Wilkinson, division manager for Communicable Disease Prevention and Public Health Preparedness. “Our employees in quarantine need to focus on their health, so we are closing our birth & death records and medical records offices until Monday, Oct. 19. The immunization and sexual health clinics will be taking far fewer appointments.”

Services will be routed to the state health department or other county health departments. Please call 816-513-6008 to check on available services at the Kansas City Health Department.

Find more information on the Health Department site on KCMO.gov.. Media inquiries should be directed to Michelle Pekarsky, 816-719-3610 (cell). Follow the Health Department on Facebook and Twitter.

This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.