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Second Brooklyn postal worker coronavirus case confirmed

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Postal officials confirmed April 8 that a second employee at the Brooklyn branch has been infected with the coronavirus.

In a statement received April 8, USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Elizabeth Najduch stated “The U.S. Postal Service has learned that two employees at the Brooklyn, Mich., Post Office tested positive for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“We have reached out to the local public health office and we will follow the guidance they provide.  We believe the risk is low for employees who work at the Brooklyn, MI Post Office, but we will keep our employees apprised as new information and guidance becomes available,” she said.

The Exponent first published a story on April 1 on its sister website, IrishHillsLive.com, that two people from the Brooklyn branch were suspected of being infected. At that time, local and regional officials would not confirm our report, which relied on two individuals who wished to remain nameless.

On April 3, postal authorities confirmed that one person at the Brooklyn branch had been infected with the virus. Five days later they confirmed the second.

They are not releasing names or offering health status updates on the two employees.

“As you may know, under the Rehabilitation Act and the Privacy Act, specific employee medical information must be kept confidential and may only be shared in very limited circumstances. Therefore, the Postal Service cannot share the name of the employee who tested positive for COVID-19 or further specifics of his or her medical condition,” said Najuch.

As an essential business, the post office will continue to operate.

“The safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority. To ensure the health of our employees, we are continuing to follow recommended guidelines and strategies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” said Najuch.

She also states that both the CDC and the World Health Organization as well as the U.S. Surgeon General have indicated that there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 can spread through the mail and packages.

“Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution, we also enhanced and supplemented current cleaning protocols based on CDC guidelines using disinfectants across the facility,” she said.

Paper free online during coronavirus stay home period

Beginning March 24, The Exponent became available free online, so people who are isolated have access to local information. 

We will also be putting some stories out on our sister website, IrishHillsLive.com. Take a minute to look the site over, bookmark it, and check it frequently for news updates.

To read the paper online, go to www.theexponent.com, click on “online access,” enter the word Exponent in the username box and Freepaper! (case sensitive, and don’t forget the exclamation point) in the password box.

The paper is available in sections, so it loads quickly. Visitors will also be able to look over past editions.

We hope that the paper helps residents stay informed and entertained in the coming weeks.

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