State health office closes in Miami-Dade after workers test positive for COVID-19

A Florida Department of Health office in Doral has closed temporarily for deep cleaning after some staffers tested positive, a spokesperson for the county office confirmed Monday.

“One of our epidemiology offices was closed for thorough disinfection and cleaning because staff tested positive for COVID-19,” Olga Connor, the director of communications for the Department of Health in Miami-Dade said in an e-mail to the Herald.

Connor said that staffers who came in contact with the person who tested positive are being tested and will self isolate for 14 days. A Health Department staffer said someone from another DOH office who had recently visited the office tested positive, and certain individuals who were in contact with that person were informed about the diagnosis early last week.

They learned over the holiday weekend that the office would be closed for a deep cleaning.

Connor didn’t say how many employees had tested positive but the Herald learned at least two employees who work in the DOH building, located at 8175 NW 12th St., tested positive.

The epidemiology department has employees who often visit assisted living facilities to check on compliance and are potentially more exposed to the coronavirus.

Staff will be tested on Tuesday and were told they would receive the results soon, according to sources.

Connor didn’t respond to questions about how often a Department of Health office has closed because of employees testing positive.

“Throughout the COVID-19 [pandemic], if an employee tested positive, the Department follows the same procedures of thorough disinfection and cleaning,” she said in the email.

Connor didn’t immediately respond to questions about how often employees are tested or what measures the Department takes to ensure the virus doesn’t spread in the office setting.

Connor said the staff will continue to perform their work remotely.

Miami-Dade added 1,981 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the county’s New Normal Dashboard. More concerning to public health officials is the county’s growing positivity rate. The 14-day average for positivity was at 22.53% on Monday, more than double of the county’s target goal of 10%.

On Friday, Aileen Marty, public disease expert at Florida International University, told the Herald that the high positivity rates suggest the county has a “high reproductive number and extensive community spread.”