Santa Clara County Employee Tests for Coronavirus

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — A Santa Clara County employee, Director of Communications and Public Affairs Maria Leticia Gomez, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, county officials said Sunday.

Gomez fell ill on March 13, and was tested at that point for COVID-19. She has been isolated at home since that date, and was described Sunday as "doing well."

Santa Clara County has instructed all its employees, including those who have been in contact with Gomez, that they should stay home from work if they show any symptoms of illness.

The county is also specifically notifying workers who may have had close contact with Gomez that they may have been exposed to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Santa Clara County has a series of coronavirus protocols in place. They 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.

All employers are encouraged to develop similar protocols and plans as COVID-19 continues to circulate widely within our community.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department had confirmed 302 cases of coronavirus, with 10 deaths, by far the largest number of cases of any Bay Area county.

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