Former employee at Victorville TAD office tests positive for COVID-19

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (VVNG.com) — A former employee at the Transitional Assistance Department (TAD) has tested positive for COVID-19, officials confirmed.

An email sent out Thursday read, “The Department has received word that a former employee present at 15010 Palmdale Road has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was last in the office 7 days ago.”

It continued, “As we shared with you previously, the Department continues to make efforts to maintain employee safety as we work together to provide essential services to our communities. We had the Victorville building cleaned and sanitized per the CDC guidelines last night.”

“Please follow the protocol and reach out to your healthcare provider if you are experiencing any symptoms including, fever, cough, or shortness of breath,” the email read. “You may also contact your provider (Kaiser or Blue Shield) for Telemedicine if you prefer to see a healthcare provider online.”

A worker who spoke to VVNG on condition of anonymity said employees were handed out masks for the first time on Wednesday.

“Everyone at that office is terrified with very little resources. We are the ones putting through all those unemployment and aid requests. There should be more done to protect us,” the employee said. “Essential doesn’t mean sacrificial.”

The employee said that up until Wednesday the staff continued working without being given a face mask.

As of Friday, a representative from the Department said the Victorville office will remain closed to the public until further notice. However, employees are still being allowed to work from the facility.

On March 17th TAD lobbies were temporarily closed to the public due to the declared federal emergency. However, access to certain services were available by appointment only.