An employee at Yolo County Elections Office in northern California tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday and may have exposed others, according to a news release.
Election workers risked their health this year to staff polling and ballot counting centers amid the coronavirus pandemic, and now more than two dozen are self-quarantining after being potentially exposed to workers who recently tested positive for the virus.
A Yolo County news release said the staff member had minimal interaction with poll workers but did work with other elections staff and some election observers. It said the employee had "limited exposure to Voter Assistance Centers or Yolo County residents and voters.”
While the county has adhered to social distancing and cleaning protocols, it is implementing further mitigation steps including:
- Only allowing critical staff in the office
- Deep cleaning facilities
- Making work from home options available, and continuing disinfecting techniques
- Sending close contacts home to self-quarantine
Contact tracers are working to notify close contacts. The infection will not impact the December 3 certification deadline for the 2029 General Election. The county says more than 99,000 votes were cast with more than 90,000 mail-in ballots.
“To preserve the health and safety of our staff, observers and the public, we are taking extensive measures to contain this incident and are adjusting our election certification processes accordingly,” Yolo County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters Jesse Salinas said in the news release. “We appreciate the public’s understanding and patience as we proceed through this situation safely.”
The county, which includes West Sacramento and Davis, has 3,577 cases including 64 deaths.