Library Worker Has Coronavirus, Odenton Branch Stays Open

ODENTON, MD — An employee at the Odenton branch of the Anne Arundel County Public Library tested positive for coronavirus, a Wednesday report said. That staffer has not been to work since last Friday.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health news release said the worker was asymptomatic the last time they worked. Employees are aware of the infection, health officials said.

Contact tracing is underway. The department of health will only contact library workers and visitors who are at increased risk for infection.

"In this instance, no contact from the health department means you are not at an increased risk," Elin Jones, a Department of Health spokeswoman, said in the release.

Exposed staff members must test negative before returning to work.

Jones said the library is allowed to stay open because it has followed proper social distancing measures since reopening on July 6. Prior to reopening, the library offered contactless curbside pickup.

The library now operates at a reduced capacity, has sneeze guards in place by registers and maintains social distancing where possible. Masks are required in all public places where its hard to stay 6 feet apart, including in all library branches.

With 5,683 infections, Anne Arundel County has the fifth most coronavirus cases in the state. More than 200 people in the county have died from the virus.

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