BMO Harris employee tests positive
Confirmed coronavirus case impacts 2nd multi-tower Chicago office within 3 days
A BMO Harris Bank employee in the company’s three-building office complex in Chicago’s Loop has tested positive for the new coronavirus and is in selfquarantine, tenants in the property were informed Friday.
It is the second confirmation in three days of a worker in a big, multi-tower office property in downtown Chicago testing positive for COVID-19, adding to the challenge of containing the spread of the virus even as local and state officials institute new measures to limit large gatherings of people.
The bank was informed of the diagnosis by one of its employees Thursday, spokesman Patrick O’Herlihy said Friday.
“We were notified yesterday that one of our employees in Chicago has tested positive for COVID-19. Our employee is recovering at home and has our full support,” O’Herlihy said in an emailed statement. “BMO employees identified as having been in proximity to the individual have been contacted and are in self-quarantine.
“The floor in the tower at 111 W. Monroe that the employee worked on has undergone deep cleaning and sanitizing, and we have enhanced cleaning procedures in place for the entire building. We’re actively monitoring the situation and taking guidance from public health authorities.”
BMO’s offices and a bank branch in the complex were open Friday.
On Wednesday, real estate developer CA Ventures confirmed one of its employees had been diagnosed, causing the company to temporarily close its office in One Prudential Plaza for cleaning.
The two-tower Prudential Plaza is one of Chicago’s largest office complexes. It’s connected to several other large buildings via the Pedway, and the property is adjacent to the city’s biggest tourist destination, Millennium Park.
Tenants in the BMO complex at 115 S. LaSalle St., 111 W. Monroe St., and 200 W. Adams St. were informed in an email Friday that an employee in the complex tested positive for
COVID-19 and was quarantined, but the employer wasn’t identified.
The ill employee hasn’t been in the office in more than 10 days, according to the email.
The three buildings are connected at the base, serving as the headquarters of the bank, which is owned by Toronto-based BMO Financial. The bank doesn’t own the property and there are other office tenants in the complex.
BMO Harris has more than 3,000 employees in the complex.