A Harvey Mudd College facilities and maintenance grounds employee has tested positive for COVID-19, HMC President Maria Klawe announced Saturday. This appears to be the first instance of an employee at the Claremont Colleges testing positive for COVID-19.
Klawe said that the employee, who works outside, is doing well and recovering at home. “We remain in contact with the employee and wish them a speedy recovery,” Klawe said.
The college has conducted contact tracing and said that the employee followed HMC COVID-19 safety protocols and did not have close contact with anyone on HMC’s campus.
“Since grounds employees work outside, they have the opportunity to work at a significant distance from each other and have regularly reviewed and exercised physical distancing,” Klawe said. “For example, they do not share individual tools, and large equipment is cleaned and sanitized between uses.”
HMC staff will continue to disinfect restrooms three times daily, including all “high-touch” surfaces like counters, doorknobs, light switches, restroom fixtures, toilets, showers and trash cans using current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Los Angeles Department of Public Health recommendations.
Staff are also assigned to sanitize common use areas such as tables and chairs in dining halls, handrails, stairwells, restrooms and elevators.
“As always, the safety and well-being of the entire HMC community remains our top priority, and we will continue to provide you with the most updated information possible via email and on HMC’s Coronavirus Information website,” Klawe said.
The first on-campus case of COVID-19 at the Claremont Colleges was reported in April; a Scripps student tested positive for the virus while living on campus.
Maria Heeter SC ’22 is an economics major from Dover, New Hampshire. She previously served as TSL’s fall 2020 editor-in-chief.