A little more than two week prior to the 2020 election, Atlanta’s Fox5 TV reported on a COVID-19 outbreak at the Fulton County Election warehouse.
TRANSCRIPT
Courtney Bryant: This outbreak has hit a Fulton County elections warehouse in northwest Atlanta. Nearly a quarter of the workers tested positive as early as this morning. News Reporter Janice Yu has the details.
Janice Yu: County employees are looking for other locations they can use to split up some of the employees that are here at this warehouse to give people a little more space given this coronavirus outbreak. And they say they’ll have a better idea of where those locations will be on Friday.
Man: Yesterday we had everyone in the warehouse tested out there and we got the results this morning.
Janice Yu: Two confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday snowballed into 13 as of Thursday morning. The outbreak happened here, at the Fulton County elections preparation center despite the news, country officials there is no disruption to the work.
Richard Barron: Processing of absentee ballots, no there has been no delay. With regard to the logic and inaccuracy testing, the only delay was probably yesterday when they were getting tested.
Janice Yu: This building in northwest Atlanta is where the country houses equipment and supplies for the election. People who work here are involved in logic and inaccuracy testing, packing supply boxes, and collecting ballot drop boxes.
Richard Barron: None of the individuals that have tested positive have any contact with voters at any of the early voting locations.
Janice Yu: As for the possibility of the virus traveling from supplies in the warehouse to the early voting locations, not something to worry about according to the Fulton County health director.
Dr. Lynn Paxton: That is certainly not the primary way of catching coronavirus. It is through the air and through respiratory contact, droplets in the air.
Janice Yu: Starting Friday, all warehouse employees will get daily rapid coronavirus tests. The 13 temporary vacant spots will be filled by country employees or by people from an outside company.
Officials say as of today, all but one of the employees who have tested positive are asymptomatic. And county health officials say they will be sending case investigators to the houses of the employees who have tested positive to test their families as well.
NOTE: Location of the Fulton County Election Preparation Center (EPC) is 1365 English Street, NW, Atlanta.
