Another Bloomington Fire Department employee tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release from the City of Bloomington.
This is the eighth case among BFD employees this month, and 12 th since the pandemic began. But City Communications Director Yaël Ksander said none of the employees have been identified as close contacts, meaning the cases are not being spread in firehouses.
“Our first responders across the country are literally in the line of fire of the virus because of the nature of their work,” Ksander said. “But they are not contracting the virus from one another.”
READ MORE: Weekend Ended A Nearly Two-Week Streak Of COVID-19 Deaths In Monroe County
According to the release, the BFD employee left their shift Sunday, Dec. 13 after experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive on Dec. 17. This new case is the 47 th positive test among City employees, but Ksander said frontline emergency workers like BFD employees will be prioritized when the City begins distributing vaccines.
Fire Chief Jason Moore and Deputy Chief Jayme Washel are scheduled to receive the vaccine this week, Ksander said, and other BFD employees will get the vaccine at a later, undetermined date.
For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page here .
