7 USPS workers at West Sacramento processing plant test positive for COVID-19

Seven workers at the U.S. Postal Service processing plant in West Sacramento have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Postal Service said in a statement that officials are notifying the Yolo County public health office of the infections, and “will follow the guidance they provide.”

“We believe the risk is low for employees who work at the Sacramento Processing Plant, but we will keep our employees apprised as new information and guidance becomes available,” Postal Service spokesperson Meiko Patton said in an email.

The Postal Service did not say which employees at the 3775 Industrial Blvd. facility tested positive, or what their current medical conditions are. It’s unclear how recently the seven workers tested positive, or when was their last day at work. The Postal Service declined to provide additional information.

“Although the virus can survive for a short period of time on some surfaces, both CDC and the United States Surgeon General have indicated that it is unlikely to be spread from domestic or international mail, products or packaging,” Patton said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that it may be possible for a person to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth or mouth, though this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

The Postal Service will “enhance and supplement current cleaning protocols using disinfectants” at the facility, following the infections.

A distribution manager at the facility told KCRA in December that the West Sacramento location was the “second largest mail processing facility in this country.”

Postal workers, deemed essential employees and tasked with processing and delivering millions of letters and packages every day, have been among the most vulnerable workers continuing to show up to the job.

Across the country, thousands of postal workers have been infected with the coronavirus. At the end of April, more than 2,000 postal workers, including 142 mail handlers, had contracted the virus, National Postal Mail Handlers Union president Paul Hogrogian said in a blog post. At least 46 postal workers have died from COVID-19, Hogrogian reported at the time.

As of Thursday night, more than 1,000 Yolo County residents have been infected by the coronavirus, including 285 in West Sacramento.

This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 9:18 AM.