JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A person who was recently in the Truman Building has tested positive for coronavirus, the Office of Administration (OA) said Friday.
The person had been in suite 720 of the government building last on March 13. No other information about the employee was revealed. An OA spokesman declined to comment if the individual is a state employee.
In an email to employees Friday afternoon, OA Commissioner Sarah Steelman said the Cole County Health Department would be in touch with anyone who potentially came into contact with the individual.
The suite has been closed for cleaning and disinfection. Employees who worked in the suite are working remotely or on leave, Steelman said.
At least 47 Missourians have tested positive for COVID-19 this month, including two individuals in Cole County. One person from Boone County has died.
Gov. Mike Parson has declared a state of emergency, and many government offices and operations are shuttered or have mandated employees can work remotely.
The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” while the disease is called “coronavirus disease 2019,” or “COVID-19.” It can cause severe respiratory illnesses with symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned.
There have been more than 15,000 confirmed cases in the U.S., and 201 deaths, according to the CDC. More than 300 people in Missouri have been tested.
The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has opened a public hotline operated by medical professionals around the clock seven days a week. The hotline number is 877-435-8411.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For up-to-date information on coronavirus, check with the CDC and DHSS.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
