Auburn city employees tested for coronavirus after firefighter contracts COVID-19
Employees at the Auburn City Fire Department have been tested for the coronavirus after one of its firefighters tested positive for COVID-19 as infections continue to rise in Placer County.
All City Hall and some Auburn Police Department employees are being tested for COVID-19 this week as well, “out of an abundance of caution,” city officials announced Tuesday in a news release. As of Tuesday morning, the test results city officials have received have been negative for the virus.
On Saturday, the firefighter told the department’s on-duty chief officer that he received a positive test result for COVID-19, the infectious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
City officials said the firefighter had no fever or symptoms during his last on-duty shift, and he became symptomatic three days after leaving the fire station. They did not indicate when his last shift was.
City officials on Tuesday said the firefighter was in self-quarantine at home and has not required hospitalization, and the Fire Department was working with the county’s Public Health Department to determine how the firefighter contracted the virus.
“It is our belief that there is very little chance of infection to the public,” Auburn Fire Chief Dave Spencer said in the news release. “The safety of the residents in our community and our first responders are my priorities right now.”
City officials said the Fire Department has protocols in place to limit or prevent the spread of the virus, and firefighters follow these protocols while treating or interacting with residents.
Placer County on Tuesday reported one new death due to complications from COVID-19 and 15 additional cases, increasing its infection total to 534. The recent death, the county’s 10th fatality from the virus, occurred Sunday and was reported to health officials Monday. It was the county’s the first COVID-19-related death since May 22.
“For months now, the city has been taking every precaution to keep our residents and employees safe,” Auburn Mayor Daniel Berlant said in the news release. “While we have worked hard to balance health safety with returning to a sense of normalcy, now more than ever, we must all take the proper steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
