NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Port of Virginia employee has tested positive for coronavirus, officials have confirmed.
According to Virginia Port Authority spokesman Joseph Harris, the employee last reported to work on March 21.
During a webinar on April 9, officials confirmed the positive case.
“We immediately determined who he had interface with, was just with one other colleague, and we knew exactly where that colleague was,” said Bill Burket, Director of the Maritime Incident Response team at the Port of Virginia.
Burket said the entrance and the equipment the employees used was immediately sanitized. They hired SERVPRO sanitation to help with the cleaning.
Port of Virginia operations have not been impacted by the positive result.
The Port of Virginia is playing a crucial role in moving shipments of personal protective equipment quickly to health care providers in desperate need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Port of Virginia has created a new critical cargo initiative to quickly move in-demand supplies from ships to their final destinations as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. These supplies include personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers, coronavirus testing kits, and supplies like hand sanitizer and necessary raw materials, according to a news release.
CORRECTION: On the April 9th edition of WAVY News 10 at 11 it was incorrectly stated that temperatures below 100.4 degrees would be prohibited from entering the terminal. Rather, temperatures above will be denied access. WAVY-TV regrets the error.