SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Veterans Home received confirmation on Monday that one of its employees has tested positive for the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to a letter addressed to representatives families.
The letter on the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs website says employee is now self-quarantining at home. Additional cleaning is taking place in areas of the building where the staff member worked.
Spokane Veterans Home is in the process of developing a timeline to determine where in the building the employee was while at work, which will help them determine next steps, according to the letter.
According to the letter, the employee was tested on March 23 and had no known contact with anyone else who tested positive for COVID-19.
When 72 hours had passed without symptoms, the employee returned to work on Friday, March 27, and for a partial shift on Monday, March 30 — when the test results came back positive.
The VA said in the letter that it is clarifying screening criteria and requiring employees to show a negative test or be cleared by the Spokane Regional Health District.
“We realize this news is concerning and we want to reassure you that we are working closely with the Spokane County Department of Health. We will stay in contact with the employee to ensure they get the care they need,” the letter reads.
Staff at the facility will now conduct four-hour symptom and temperature checks for all residents over the next two weeks. No residents of the Spokane facility have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the VA website.
Employees are also being asked to pay close attention to whether they have any symptoms, including the presence of a temperature. They should take their temperature twice a day and can visit the screening area to have their temperature checked more frequently, the letter says.
Staff should immediately report symptoms that occur after reporting to work and going through the screening process.