Coronavirus: 10 UT-Austin Custodial Workers Test Positive

AUSTIN, TX — Ten custodial workers at the University of Texas at Austin have tested positive for coronavirus, a spokesman confirmed on Tuesday.

Responding to inquiries from Patch, university spokesman J.B. Bird confirmed the diagnoses. He added that the university has had a total of 26 staffers tested or presumed positive since the onset of the respiratory illness spread.

"The university depends on our dedicated staff to help keep operations running, especially during these challenging times," Bird wrote Patch in an email. "Our top priority is the health and well-being of our employees and that of any people they were in contact with. We are working closely with all university employees to reiterate the guidelines in place to help keep them safe during this complex and evolving pandemic."

Asked for a health status among those positively diagnosed, Bird outlined the university's protocol: "When notified of an employee who has tested positive, UT’s Occupational Health Program (OHP) initiates contact tracing and gets in touch with anyone they identify as a close contact," he said. Those who are not close contacts have no special precautions to take, he added, although everyone should be following prevention precautions to keep themselves healthy.

Following public health guidelines, the university has cleaning protocols followed based on spaces occupied by anyone diagnosed as COVID positive. Mitigation efforts focus on personal offices or common rooms frequented by the diagnosed person. These protocols are outlined on the facilities services website: https://facilitiesservices.utexas.edu/coronavirus.

Employees with specific questions are urged to contact the Occupational Health Program through the contact information on their web page: https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/occupational-health-program.