Two Portland-area Postal Service workers test positive for COVID-19
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Two U.S. Postal Service workers in the Portland area tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a spokesperson for the agency.Â
One of the sick workers is a letter carrier in Oak Grove who delivers mail to homes and businesses, KGW reported. She was last at work on Friday and tested positive on Tuesday. Co-workers who were in direct contact with the carrier have been asked to leave work and quarantine for 14 days.
The other postal employee who tested positive works at the Portland Processing and Distribution Center plant, near the Portland International Airport. Workers at the P&DC facility primarily sort mail and unload trucks and don't come into direct contact with the public. The facility has 1,200 employees.
The postal service did not identify the employees or provide any additional details about their conditions, citing confidentiality requirements by law.
"We believe the risk is low for employees who work at the Portland Processing and Distribution Center, but we will keep our employees apprised as new information and guidance becomes available," wrote David Rupert, USPS spokesperson in an email to KGW.
Two postal service employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said the employee at the Portland plant self-reported.
Several workers, who may have been exposed to the infected postal employee, were placed under quarantine for seven days and have since returned to work, the unnamed postal workers said.
An agency spokesperson said the Portland employee was last at work on March 9 and tested positive on March 14.
The U.S. Postal Service did not notify the public in either case.
