The Leon County Tax Collector’s Office remains open after concerns have been raised over an employee who tested positive for coronavirus and coworkers who continue to serve the public.
The Tallahassee Democrat received several communications that employees of the North Monroe Street branch of the office were continuing to come to work after coming in contact with someone who received positive test results Saturday.
Tax Collector Doris Maloy confirmed the positive test and that she’d instructed others to get tested but said while they await the results the office would remain open under federal guidelines for essential services.
“We are essential employees,” Maloy said by phone Monday. “And essential employee guidelines say that because we provide an essential function we can continue to work while we're waiting on test results.”
The office is only accepting a limited number of customers in the building at one time to limit exposure, causing long, outdoor lines that have snaked around the sidewalk outside.
Maloy said Aug. 1, the Tax Collector’s Office was shifting to appointments-only, using an online portal.
Maloy said nearly everyone in the office was tested Monday but under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, “We still wear face masks, we social distance and sanitize after every transaction.
“Nobody else in the office has any symptoms so either they’re not affected by this or they’re asymptomatic,” she said.
CDC guidelines for essential offices follow a set of protocols for people who may have come into contact with and infected individual.
Come to the office and notify a supervisor. Get tested and return to work while practicing social distancing, use of facemasks and disinfection practices and retest if symptoms surface.
They are allowed to continue to work “provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community,” federal guidelines state.
Maloy said employee and customer safety was paramount but indicated that if employees are concerned about coming to the office they would be required to use personal leave time since most of the functions of the Tax Collector – renewing licenses, obtaining permits and paying taxes – are done in person.
She added that she didn’t feel a duty to alert the public who may come to the office that an employee tested positive.
“I see no reason to share that with the public; the reason being because the person who tested positive is not in the office,” she said. “It’s no secret. There’s absolutely no secret about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
To set up an appointment at the Tax Collector’s office, visit, https://ift.tt/3gdqOJl
Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.
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