Some Chandler city employees tested positive for COVID-19. Here's how the city handles cases

Six Chandler city employees are on leave after testing positive for COVID-19, officials confirmed this week.

Another 19 employees are on leave as they await test results, city spokesman Matthew Burdick said.

A total of 19 employees have tested positive since the beginning of the year, he said.

He would not break down the numbers by department, saying it would make ill employees “easily identifiable.”

In cases where a city employee tests positive, Burdick said their work areas are cleaned extensively and other employees who may have had contact with the ill person are notified. He noted that not all city employees interact regularly with the public, stating that some work “behind the scenes.”

However, it appears some of the cases could be in public-facing departments. Library Manager Rachelle Kuzyk confirmed there are “some positive and presumptive cases, not only in the libraries but in Chandler overall.”

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Testing and paid leave policies

Employees who show symptoms of COVID-19 immediately are tested and sent home pending results, according to Burdick.

If the test results come back positive, they work with the city’s Human Resources to initiate paid leave until their healthcare provider clears them to return to work.

Although city employees showing symptoms are tested on the city’s dime, those who fear they have been exposed and are asymptomatic are “asked to work through their healthcare to be tested,” according to Burdick.

He said first responders, such as police officers and firefighters, are tested upon exposure.

Kuzyk said some librarians have asked to be tested.

“We have employees who are requesting testing; I think for their own personal safety,” she said.

Until an employee tests positive, they are expected to report to work.

If an employee tests positive, Burdick said the city works to notify other employees who may have come into contact with the ill person. Healthcare providers are required to inform the Maricopa County Health Department of positive COVID-19 results, and the department works to contact members of the public who interacted with the employee.

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Chandler cases overall

There are 1,389 reported COVID-19 cases as of June 23 in five ZIP codes that at least partially run through Chandler.

Chandler's highest reported concentration of the virus is in the 85224 ZIP code, which stretches from Loop 202 north to about Elliot Road, and includes Chandler Regional Medical Center.

The hospital could attribute to the higher number of reported cases in the ZIP code, as a positive case in which the patient’s home address is unknown is attributed to the hospital.

The 85224 ZIP code has 365 reported positive cases, which comes to 79 cases per 10,000 residents.

The 85225 ZIP code has a higher number of reported cases at 512, but more people live in the area, dropping it to 66 cases per 10,000 residents.

MAPPING IT OUT: Arizona COVID-19 cases by ZIP code

‘Use at your own risk’

Chandler parks, recreational facilities and libraries initially closed to the public in mid-March. They reopened May 18.

Since then, Kuzyk said the facilities have been cleaned once per day by janitorial staff after each building closes for the evening — the minimum cleaning interval suggested by the Centers for Disease Control for community facilities. She also said staff at the libraries are “doing extra cleaning for their high touch areas.”

Exactly how often high touch areas, such as tables and computer keyboards, get wiped down was unclear.

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“I don’t know if I can say a specific time frame,” Kuzyk said. “It’s really more dependent on how busy we are, how much material they’re handling. But they have all the cleaning supplies that are required at each of the customer service desks and they can spray down surfaces, let them disinfect and wipe them off.”

On a busy day, Kuzyk said the city libraries’ largest locations, the Downtown and Sunset branches, can see more than 500 visitors. She noted that most visitors have been wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

“We’re seeing that most people are being very responsible,” she said. “As they’re coming in, most people are wearing masks and we do have masks available if anybody shows up (without one).”

Wearing a face covering in public spaces now is required in Chandler and elsewhere in Maricopa County to help reverse the trend showing increased spread of the novel coronavirus.

Kuzyk said certain supplies, including disinfectant wipes and sprays, have been difficult to find. As a result, Chandler has been creating its own disinfectant spray.

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“The wipes you would normally consider, the Lysol disinfecting wipes, those products have been hard to source so the city is mixing its own disinfectant,” she said.

Before the libraries reopened to the public, librarians were disinfecting books and other materials as they were dropped off. Now, Kuzyk said it is impossible for staff members to sanitize all materials upon return.

“Now that we have members of the public handling the materials in the facility, it’s just not practical or reasonable to be able to disinfect everything or quarantine it between each use,” she said. “It’s very much so a use at your own risk thing at this point in time.”

Have a question or tip? Reach the reporter Sasha Hupka at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter: @SashaHupka.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chandler employees test positive for COVID-19