A local government employee has died from COVID-19.
The Riviera Beach staff member has not been identified, but City Manager Jonathan Evans confirmed that six to eight other employees have self-quarantined as a result of their colleague’s death.
“To the victim’s family and the individuals who work in the organization, it is a horrific day for the City of Riviera Beach. We are certainly doing everything we can to protect the safety and the welfare of our employees and the public,” Evans told our news partner, WPTV NewsChannel 5. “This is serious and it happened right here at home for us all. It is a painful reminder that we have to listen, and we are going to have to make some tough decision to be able to get through this for better days here in our community.”
The city has established a hotline for employees who feel they are developing symptoms.
Officials are still investigating whether or not the victim contracted the virus during travel or through direct contact with someone in the community.
“The individual had previous health-related issues that certainly, probably exacerbated the issues associated with COVID-19,” added Evans.
Completely Remote City Operations https://t.co/vwi9AwrqT4
— City of Riviera Beach, FL. (@Rivierabch) April 1, 2020
As a result of the employee death, Evans is asking all departments to go “full-remote” by April 6. The city’s Fire-Rescue, Police and Utilities departments would be exempt from the full-remote order.