TALLAHASSEE, Fla; (WTXL) — A portion of a building at the Department of Revenue has been closed after an employee went to get tested for coronavirus.
On Thursday, the Florida Department of Health said they were made aware that an employee at the Department of Revenue building was exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms and the building was being shut down in response.
Pam Saulsby, FDOH Leon County public information specialist said their health officer did provide guidance on the matter
"This situation initially involved the child support office that’s located on the first floor," said Saulsby. "It did not involve a confirmed COVID-19 case, but potential exposure to the virus. So, the leadership at that office made the decision to quarantine for two weeks."
When ABC 27 reached out to the Department of Revenue, they said it became aware of a Tallahassee employee being tested for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
When they were made aware of the case on Wednesday, the department made the decision to close the undisclosed area where the employee worked to disinfect it.
"The work area will reopen when the employee’s test results are confirmed negative or on April 9, whichever comes first,"said Bethany Webster, interim communications director Florida Department of Revenue. "Employees who work in that area will receive notification from their supervisors the day before they are allowed to return to the building."
"The second floor is the Department of Revenue," Saulsby said. "The thinking was that it would be wise to communicate to everyone in the building about the potential exposure so they could make a decision to safeguard their employees."
As far as the nature of the potential exposure, DOH said details were "vague."
"The information about the potential exposure was vague," Saulsby explained. "It was unclear to us at the time whether it was potential exposure to a confirmed case in a different county or state, or if the exposure was due to travel and someone maybe had symptoms and decided to get tested. These are all unknowns."
This a developing story.
