Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 7-17-20

Local
HART Employees Required To Test For COVID-19
As of Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 31 HART employ- ees had tested positive for COVID-19
Under the leadership of HART ICEO, Carolyn House Stewart, all HART employees are being required to test for COVID-19 for the health, safety, and welfare of the employee, other employ- ees at HART, the public, and the Agency.
All HART employees are being offered convenient, free, testing on site at the 21st Avenue facility. If an em- ployee chooses to be tested at another location, they can do that as well.
HART collaborated through Hillsborough County for a third-party medical service to administer the test at the HART Operations and Maintenance Facility at 4305 East 21st Avenue, as a con- venience for employees.
According to spokesper- son Carson Chambers, as of Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 373 employees had under- gone the test onsite:
• 209 employees tested on June 30, 2020
• 164 employees tested on July 2, 2020
Employees who choose to get tested at another facility had until Monday, July 13, 2020 to schedule their tests.
HART, as a responsible employer, must protect em- ployees from known expo- sure in the workplace.
“HART has implemented required COVID-19 testing of all employees for the health, safety and welfare of all its employees and the public,” Atty. Stewart said.
“Through collaboration with Hillsborough County Health Department, HART made testing available onsite for the convenience of our employees.
ATTY. CAROLYN HOUSE STEWART ...HART ICEO
“Our signage (social dis- tancing, mask requirements) and various disinfecting pro- tocols for buses and facili- ties, along with reminders to stay at home if you are sick, and providing PPE, are in place to do the same.
“Even with our best ef- forts, mandatory testing be- came necessary. Required tests for all employees in the workplace helped us identify the asymptomatic carriers.
“The rise of cases among HART employees is indica- tive of the rise of COVID-19 cases in the general popula- tion,” Atty. Stewart ex- plained.
HART has received con- firmation that a van opera- tor and a non-public facing employee have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID- 19).
The van operator last worked on July 8, 2020. In an abundance of caution and in consultation with the Hills- borough County Department of Heath, customers who came in contact with the op- erator will be contacted.
This brings the total num- ber of cases of HART employ- ees testing positive for the coronavirus to 31 – includ- ing: 14 bus operators, 4 van operators, 1 streetcar
motorperson, and other employees.
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