2 Ocean County Employees Positive For Coronavirus: Administrator

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two Ocean County employees are among the 680 cases of the new coronavirus in the county, Ocean County Administrator Carl W. Block confirmed Friday.

In addition, there are five employees who are in self-quarantine because they may have been exposed to the virus, he said. He did not identify the department the employees work in or when they tested positive.

Ocean County has more than 1,800 employees, Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari said when the county closed all of its offices to the public on March 16. That was the day Gov. Phil Murphy ordered all schools across the state to close and shut down a slew of businesses to try to help slow the spread of the virus, which has sickened more than 11,124 and killed 140 across New Jersey as of Saturday afternoon.

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"This is a time of unprecedented actions that need to be taken in order to protect the public and our government workers," Vicari said. "We are making every effort to continue to provide our services but for now we will have to do most of the work over the telephone or by email and websites. I encourage our citizens to call the county offices with any questions about doing business with the county." Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

County buildings have been deep-cleaned and sanitized, as have the county's Ocean Ride bus service, officials said.

Ocean Ride serves primarily senior citizens in Ocean County, who are a substantial portion of the more than 600,000 county residents. Drivers have been issued disinfectants and protective gear that can be used as needed, county officials said.

The positive tests first were reported by the Asbury Park Press.

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