DEAR PROBE

Q

Social Services, specifically Child Protective Services, is not receiving emails, like the rest of the Social services offices, regarding employees who have tested positive for COVID-19. We are one of the buildings, if not the only one, that works 24 hours for child abuse and elder abuse investigations.

They have posted a letter indicating the building is sanitized on the main entrance door, which has been blocked for access since the pandemic began.

We, the employees, walk in through the side doors. In other words we never see the notices on the main door. Other buildings are shut down at least for a day and disinfected along with an email sent out indicating someone tested positive, which tells us not to go into that building until it’s disinfected. There have been multiple positive employees in our direct building with no email to notify the employees. We’ve addressed it with our union, and Social Services denied they haven’t notified us.

What else can we do? We work with the community and come back to our homes.

The least they can do is tell us if the building was exposed and give us a heads up to stay out of the building while it’s disinfected. What actions can we take?

A

Imperial County Public Information Officer Linsey Dale said upon being notified that an employee tested positive, the county begins an outreach process to determine if any co-workers have been potentially exposed.

The first outreach is done by Imperial

County Public Health Department by reaching out to the employee who tested positive. Following the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention guidance, Public Health determines if any employees were in close contact with an employee who tested positive for COVID-19, Dale said.

If there are any, these employees receive a notice from the Human Resources Department advising them of the possible exposure and to self-quarantine.

Simultaneously, Facilities Management coordinates the disinfecting of the buildings, she said.

“Once the building is disinfected, a notice is placed at the main and employee entrances,” Dale said. “The final step is to send a courtesy notice to staff located in that building advising them of the COVID-positive employee.”

This final courtesy notice is usually sent within 24 to 48 hours, as priority is to notify potential exposures and to disinfect the building, Dale said.