Pima County Health Director Tests Positive For Coronavirus

TUCSON, AZ — Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday, the county said.

Cullen is just one health department employee who has tested positive for the virus in recent weeks. County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry told the Pima County Board of Supervisors this week that more than 300 out of approximately 7,000 county employees have contracted the coronavirus since the pandemic began. More than 60 of them have tested positive in the last two weeks.

At least 11 of those employees work at the health department, which is charged with leading the efforts to mitigate the virus.

“This just goes to prove that when there is substantial community spread of the virus like we’re experiencing now throughout the County, the virus can get into your homes and places of work any number of ways no matter how vigilant you are being with your precautions,” County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francisco Garcia said in a statement.

Health department employees are required to wear face coverings and stay home if they feel sick. Hundreds of county employees will now be asked to stay home for three weeks. The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to institute a countywide curfew from 10 p.m to 5 a.m. to help stop the spread.

The county is offering testing to all health department staff members who work at the headquarters on East Ajo Way. Some are being moved to alternative locations or having to work from home while the building is sanitized.

Contact tracing is underway to determine the cause of the outbreak, though that tracking was made difficult by a protest Friday. Several dozen people entered the building's lobby, most of them not wearing masks, to protest the health department's mitigation efforts, including a face mask requirement. Many of them were in close contact with staff members, the news release said.

“The effects of this outbreak at the health department will be a significant challenge but it is one we are able to handle,” Garcia said. “We have redundant capacity in staffing and facilities, and this will not affect our ability to continue to our mission protecting public health or the health separtment’s vital role in the struggle to control and end the spread of COVID-19 in Pima County.”