An employee at the Longmont post office at 201 Coffman St. has tested positive for coronavirus.
James Boxrud, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, in an email Tuesday morning said he believed the positive test was confirmed Monday.
Because of privacy laws, “specific employee medical information must be kept confidential and may only be shared in very limited circumstances. Therefore, the Postal Service cannot share the name of the employee who tested positive for COVID-19 or further specifics of his or her medical condition,” Boxrud stated.
He did not respond to questions about how many other employees at the post office have been tested, or if the employee who tested positive had contact with the public.
Chana Goussetis, spokesperson for Boulder County Public Health, in an email said, “In any workplace in which two or more people test positive or are considered probable for coronavirus, our staff will help assess their preventive practices and provide support with infection prevention, personal protective equipment, testing strategies, and recommendations for employees. The workplace is asked to implement appropriate measures to control the spread of disease, provide regular updates to our team and submit a final report to us when 28 days have passed with no new illness at the workplace.”
Boxrud stated the Postal Service is “in the process of reaching out to the local public health office and will follow the guidance they provide. We believe the risk is low for employees who work at the Longmont Post Office, but we will keep our employees apprised as new information and guidance becomes available.”
Any employee with a positive coronavirus test result is required to report the result to their employer and isolate at home, according to Goussetis. Any employees who had close contact with the person who tested positive are required to quarantine at home for 14 days, she said.
The risk of transmission is low on porous objects such as mail, but Boulder County Public Health does recommend residents wash their hands after handling their mail, Goussetis said.
Boxrud said both the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. surgeon general have indicated that coronavirus “is unlikely to be spread from domestic or international mail, products or packaging.”
