March 22, 2020
Maria Leticia Gomez, the County of Santa Clara’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, became ill on March 13, 2020 and was tested for COVID-19 by her healthcare provider, as was previously reported by several news outlets. Today, she received her results and tested positive. Ms. Gomez has been isolated at home since she first showed any symptoms on March 13, 2020, and is doing well. We are providing this detailed information about Ms. Gomez as she has agreed for the County to share her health status with the media and the public.
The County has instructed all employees, including those who have been in contact with Ms. Gomez, that they should not go to work if they show any symptoms of illness. We are also notifying all members of the County workforce with whom Ms. Gomez may have had contact while contagious that they may have been exposed.
It is not unexpected to have employees become ill as the novel coronavirus continues spreading throughout the community. The County has protocols in place to address this and similar situations involving employees who become ill. These protocols include: asking employees to stay home if they show any symptoms, reporting any symptoms that develop during working hours, asking non-essential employees to work from home, maintaining sufficient social distancing in the workplace, and consistently using excellent hygiene and cleaning practices.
Additional information about COVID-19 in the county is available at sccphd.org/coronavirus.
Public Health Website: www.sccphd.org/coronavirus
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