Kentucky legislative staffer contracts COVID-19. Lawmakers set to return Wednesday.
An employee of the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission tested positive for the novel coronavirus Monday, about 48 hours before the General Assembly plans to return to the Capitol Wednesday to work on a two-year state budget.
LRC director Jay Hartz notified staffers Monday night in an email that he had learned about the affected staffer, whom he did not identify. He said the employee had not been at work in the Capitol complex since March 16, so “there is a relatively low-risk of exposure to other LRC staff from this staff member.”
“While this news is not completely unexpected given the spread of the novel coronavirus in Kentucky, it is nonetheless disconcerting news for the staff member, their family and the greater LRC community,” Hartz said.
He said the staffer learned about the COVID-19 diagnosis Monday and is “recovering and doing relatively well given the circumstances.”
Hartz reminded the staffers that he told them on March 16 about several criteria permitting staff to stay at home through the end of March.
“The staff member met one of the criteria to stay at home outlined in that email and they have not been in the LRC offices since that time,” he said.
Hartz said the staffer’s co-workers have been notified and will follow self-isolation and quarantine protocols.
He also said the Department for Facilities and Support Services was notified and appropriate additional cleaning of areas of the building will be conducted.
Legislative leaders had no immediate comment but Wednesday’s schedule was reduced late Tuesday from six to two committee meetings with the House and Senate meeting at noon.
The two scheduled meetings Wednesday deal with the budget and road fund.
After meeting Wednesday, lawmakers are scheduled to return mid-April to consider any vetoes by the governor. The session cannot run any longer than April 15.
Gov. Andy Beshear said late Tuesday that the LRC staffer’s test shows that the virus “is going to be everywhere.”
Speaking of lawmakers, he said, “these folks need to pass a budget and get out of town.”
He quickly added that he understands that is their plan.
Beshear closed the Capitol complex to the public on March 17 and said it would only be open to essential personnel. Only legislators, essential staff, media credentialed by the Legislative Research Commission, and specifically-approved individuals are allowed in the Capitol and Capitol Annex.
The General Assembly decided to continue working and said it put in place a number of safety procedures based on the recommendations of public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The lawmakers said more committee hearings will be streamed online by KET and the LRC. Additional workers will answer constituent hotlines — the toll-free message line is (1-800-372-7181) and the direct line is (502-564-8100). The use of doorkeepers, legislative pages and floor personnel were suspended in the House and Senate chambers.
Several groups, including the ACLU of Kentucky and the Kentucky League of Women Voters, have protested lawmakers remaining in session to address a variety of bills.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 8:56 AM.
