Sacramento DMV headquarters employees got eight COVID-19 notices in two weeks

Coronavirus infection notices keep showing up this month in the inboxes of employees at the DMV headquarters on Broadway.

Workers at the two headquarters buildings on 24th Street have received notices of at least eight positive tests since Nov. 6, according to emails sent to employees by Tina Campbell, the department’s chief of human resources.

The headquarters building isn’t open to general customers. About 3,200 people work there, and 40% are teleworking either part time or full time, DMV spokeswoman Anita Gore said in an emailed statement.

At one of the buildings, workers received notices on the 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 17th of November. The general notices inform workers that they may have been exposed.

Workers identified as having spent at least 15 minutes within six feet of someone who tested positive receive separate communications, according to the emails.

The emails say the department follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols, including routine daily disinfecting of surfaces and frequent reminders to use personal protective equipment. The emails don’t identify who tested positive.

“The DMV takes the health and safety of its staff and customers seriously which is why we have put in place significant protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, consistent with public health guidance,” Gore said in the statement.

The department shut down all field offices early in the pandemic and then reopened after moving many services online.

The virus is surging around the state.

The Department of Public Health on Friday announced it had confirmed 13,005 positive tests in a day, the highest recorded total for the state so far.

Sacramento County also set a record with 559 cases Thursday, and reported 454 more cases Friday. The county has recorded 32,865 lab-positive coronavirus cases and 546 resident deaths from the virus.

This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 1:50 PM.