Word in this afternoon by the Snohomish Health District that members of their staff working at the Health District Office in Everett, Washington have contracted COVID-19. No specifics given on the number of staff or if they had been previously vaccinated. Here is the press release issued this afternoon by the Health District.
The Snohomish Health District building on Rucker has been closed and will be cleaned.
In accordance with the spirit and letter of health care privacy laws, the Health District will not be commenting further on the health status of staff members involved in the outbreak.
The Health District notified all employees of the situation this afternoon. Any staff in the building who had been in the building since August 18 were advised to seek testing. As the confirmed cases were not in public-facing roles, there is no need for people who had visited the Rucker Building to seek testing.
In-person Health District services at the Rucker Building will be unavailable through August 31. The building will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to re-opening. Online services remain in place via www.snohd.org, with all employees working remotely or offsite until the building reopens on September 1.
Two or more cases in a workplace is considered an outbreak—albeit a small one. This is being managed aggressively out of an abundance of caution, following prevailing standards, and in consultation with the Washington State Department of Health.
The Health District has been prepared for the possibility that employees might test positive for COVID-19 or need to self-quarantine since the beginning of the response. The Health District will continue to follow its own guidance for employers and take every precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
August 24, 2021
Everett