Florida Emergency Operations Center closed till Monday after 12 workers contract coronavirus
Source: Tallahassee Democrat
A surging wave of coronavirus infections that developed in Florida this past week has landed at the state’s Emergency Operations Center, which is managing the pandemic response around the clock.
The Division of Emergency Management announced via Twitter Thursday morning that 12 workers at the EOC have tested positive for the virus that triggers COVID-19, a potentially fatal respiratory disease. Four of those results were returned this week. A spokesman said the EOC facility at Southwood in Tallahassee is undergoing a deep cleaning and is closed until Monday. Workers will be working virtually in the meanwhile.
The Division began testing the approximately 150 EOC employees about three weeks ago, and the employees who returned positive tests have been working from home since. “The safety of my employees and their families is paramount. It is why we have had aggressive screening, temperature checks, since February, mandatory masks and testing,” DEM Secretary Jared Moskowitz added to the original Tweet.
The EOC is a group effort of several agencies who coordinate a state response to emergencies such as hurricanes, wildfires, and pandemics. It has been at its highest level of activation since March. At Level 1, the center is staffed 24-hours and must be prepared to deploy resources and supplies.
Read more: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/16/florida-emergency-operations-center-closed-till-monday-after-workers-test-positive-coronavirus/5452407002/
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