Salinas DMV closes abruptly after an employee tests positive for Covid-19.

The Salinas office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles on East Laurel Drive abruptly closed on Thursday, June 11, by order of Monterey County Health Officer Edward Moreno after an employee tested positive for Covid-19, according to a DMV spokesperson.

The case is under investigation, Moreno told reporters on a briefing call on Friday, June 12. He said his department was working with DMV managers to identify coworkers or any member of the public who may have been in close contact with the employee. Anyone considered to be in close contact with that person will have to self-quarantine.

The DMV had implemented health orders issued by the county and the state for reopening and was following guidance regarding social distancing between workers and customers, as well as requiring facial coverings, Moreno said.

The DMV office will reopen for business on June 25. Moreno said that as long as an employer follows public health recommendations for cleaning protocols, they can reopen at the time of their choosing.

Also still under investigation is a case involving an employee at the Marina courthouse of Monterey County Superior Court, who received positive test results on Thursday. All employees of the courthouse were ordered to go home, self-quarantine and get tested for the virus.

Moreno said in both cases the Health Department is following its protocols for contact tracing which include: speaking with the employee who tested positive and requiring them to self-isolate; informing the employer what days the employee was infectious; informing the employer that the employee should not come back to work until they complete their isolation period; working with the employer to identify everyone who came into close contact with the infected person and informing those people they need to quarantine to avoid potentially infecting others.

In the event there are members of the general public who came into contact with the employee and they can be individually identified, they will be contacted, but no notice to the general public would be necessary.

An example of when a public notice is necessary includes when the department made an announcement about exposure to an active case of tuberculosis at the Salinas courthouse in 2017, Moreno said.

No determination has been made yet about making a public announcement in the case of the Marina courthouse, Moreno said.