Molino Tax Collector Office Closed Due To COVID-19 Exposure
June 25, 2020
The Escambia County Tax Collector Office is Molino was temporarily closed due to COVID-19.
Escambia County Tax Collector Scott Lunsford told NorthEscambia.com that the employees were last exposed Friday, June 19 to a person who has tested positive for the virus.
“All employees were referred for testing, and we closed as a precaution. None of the employees sent for testing are showing symptoms at six days out,” Lunsford said.
The office was deep cleaned. He said employees will be returning to work as they can, but that is being complicated by the fact that some of those employees cannot put their kids back in daycare until they receive a negative test result.
Lunsford said he is working with the health department and their contact tracing staff to determine if any member of the public that visited the building last Friday should be contacted.
“We are taking all precautions,” he said.
Lunsford the drive-thru window in Molino reopened on Friday, June 26.
While the office is closed to the public, tax collector staff will use the building as a call center to test the agency’s ability to operate away from their normal downtown location.
Pictured: The Escambia County Tax Collector Molino office. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
6 Responses to “Molino Tax Collector Office Closed Due To COVID-19 Exposure”
Private businesses can require people to wear mask but public buildings can only suggest it at best.
I haven’t been there in a while but I wonder if they require masks downtown before entering the building where the county commissioners hold their meetings because they’ve surely left other county buildings out in the cold.
They at least suggest it if you ride ECAT but the tax collector and library employees seem to be at a high risk.
If businesses would stop allowing people in without mask, and themselves wearing masks, maybe just maybe this wouldn’t happen, it definitely couldn’t hurt
I was there, in line, waiting, as they opened last Friday morning and was out by 840. I hope they have made contact with all that may have been affected.
@Molino Tax Payer
I feel like they mentioned the contact tracing in the article…if you get a call from the health department go get tested. If you feel like you MIGHT have been exposed, go get tested. Testing is free and readily available.
Mr. Lunsford, and his staff, have no way of knowing if a customer has Covid-19 at any point in time so there’s no way they could have prevented this. I’d say based on their response and how they’ve handled it all up to this point they’re one of the few businesses in Escambia county actually being responsible and taking community safety seriously.
What about people who came into the office after Friday, before the closing date? When was the office deep cleaned from the Friday exposure date? I was there on MONDAY. Wore a mask. But noticed they did have a full house of employees inside and two employees outside. Please let us know if we need to be tested too. We have loved ones and friends who are at risk and we cannot afford exposing them. How soon after exposure can you get tested & show true results? How long do the COVID tests results take to get back? Contacting people isn’t to create a panic. It’s a responsibility for safety of those in our community.
Escambia County had 92 new cases today. I certainly hope the libraries etc are not fully reopened to this horrible, rapidly spreading virus and they take care and care for the public and their employees.