The California State Lottery has closed district offices for cleaning after an employee in Sacramento tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a staff email the lottery sent on Friday night.

The email said an employee of the district was tested “earlier this month” and received a positive test result for COVID-19 on Friday.

The employee has not been to the Sacramento district office since the first week of March, according to the email.

The email said the offices would remain closed until further notice and that the Sacramento District Office will be cleaned by a contractor within 72 hours. It tells workers they might have been exposed to the virus, and directs them to contact a local public health department for guidance.

The lottery has nine district offices where people can get help claiming large prizes. The lottery had previously closed the offices to the public because of the outbreak. The new directive means employees won’t be able to work at the offices.

The lottery is the latest California government department to close offices as part of its virus response. The Department of Motor Vehicles announced this week that it was  closing all its district offices until April 1 and working to move more services online.

Caltrans and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System each closed offices temporarily for cleaning early last week.

Departments have been expanding telework agreements as part of their response. By the end of last week, most of CalPERS’ 2,800 employees were working from home, CEO Marcie Frost said.

At other departments, particularly those with public safety roles, many workers don’t have teleworking options. The state corrections department  is among those.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article241587271.html