Out of an abundance of caution, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on Saturday closed the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) building at 286 Water St. for sanitizing and cleaning.

The building is already closed to the public on weekends. DHHS notified staff on Saturday that the building would close to employees after learning that an outside vendor who was in the building on Tuesday was confirmed positive for COVID-19.The vendor visited limited areas of the building.

The building has been cleaned and sanitized and will reopen Tuesday.

Per standard protocols, Maine CDC epidemiologists are notifying and advising any close contacts. One Maine CDC employee, whose role is not public-facing or central to disease surveillance, was determined to be a close contact of the confirmed individual and is taking recommended precautions. Due to recent actions taken by DHHS to limit the number of people in our buildings to prevent COVID-19 spread, most Maine CDC staff are working remotely. In order to abide by privacy requirements, DHHS is limited in releasing any further information.

The Maine CDC employees who report to the Water Street building are currently working remotely.

The building closure does not affect testing or distribution of personal protective equipment, which takes place in other Maine CDC facilities. Epidemiological investigation of confirmed cases, including contact tracing, is ongoing.

Maine people can protect their health and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by staying home whenever possible, practicing physical distancing and wearing a mask when not at home, and speaking with their health care provider if they experience symptoms consistent with COVID-19, such as shortness of breath, fever, and cough.

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