ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — An Alamance County Judicial Facilities employee received a positive COVID-19 test Monday, according to court officials.
“We believe this individual was last in the Alamance County Courthouse on Tuesday, November 3, 2020,” officials said in a statement.
The areas where the employee had been were cleaned and disinfected following the Alamance County Health Department, CDC, and EPA protocols and guidance, court officials said. Those who were in the courthouse during the timeframe are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
If you do not have symptoms, the CDC and DHHS recommend that you continue to take precautions and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. Protect yourself from potential exposure by wearing a mask/face covering, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands.
If you become sick or think you may have COVID-19, call your doctor, public health department, or community health center to talk to a medical professional by phone. They can provide you with additional medical information and assist you in making plans for what to do next. If you are unable to work because you become sick or think you may have COVID-19, contact your supervisor for additional information.
All lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the Alamance County Health Department, officials said. Case investigation and contact tracing begins by the local health officials once cases are reported. If someone you’ve been in close contact with has tested positive for COVID-19, you will be contacted and receive additional guidance from the county’s Health Department. Contact tracing involves the following:
● The Health Department contact tracers contact the positive case and ask the individual for a list of close contacts and ask for information regarding where he or she is employed.
● Contact tracers then attempt to contact each of the positive case’s close contacts, within 48 hours, to notify them that they have been exposed (contact tracers do not identify the positive case) and should quarantine. They also contact the individual’s hiring authority to inform the employer that their employee has tested positive, but they do not provide a name or other identifying information.
● Close contacts are all persons who have been within 6 feet of the positive case for 15 minutes or more within the 48 hours before the positive case began showing symptoms, or within 48 hours before the test if the positive case is asymptomatic.
You can call the COVID-19 Call Center at 336-290-0361 if you believe you have been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive person and with questions about how you should respond to a reported positive case in your work environment.