Shortly after the Delaware Division of Public Health announced another Coronavirus case in Delaware, a New Castle County woman under the age of 30, Senator Tom Carper released a statement identifying the person as someone on his staff.
“It has been confirmed that a member of Senator Carper’s Delaware-based staff has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual is self-quarantining and is not severely ill. This individual has not traveled to Washington, D.C. recently and has had no contact with Senator Carper or other members of Congress since exhibiting symptoms.”
“On the advice of Delaware public health experts at the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), other members of Senator Carper’s staff who came in contact with the individual while the individual was exhibiting symptoms will be self-isolating at home for the next 14 days and monitoring their symptoms closely. If any of those staff members start showing symptoms of COVID-19, they will be tested as well.”
Although Carper’s statement did not mention which of the three Delaware offices the staff member worked at it is believed to be the Wilmington Office located 301 North Walnut Street, the JP Morgan Chase Building.
Yesterday afternoon an email was sent out to employees at JP Morgan Chase that informed their Wilmington office that a person at their campus had tested positive for the Coronavirus.
In addition to the original email, JP Morgan Chase sent out a follow-up email to its employees. That email, provided by Chase Spokeswoman Ashlei Bobo, can be viewed below.
Our response to the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to evolve, as we prioritize the health and safety of our employees and continue operating the company for the benefit of all our stakeholders.
Effective immediately, we are asking all managers globally to allow employees to work from home to the extent feasible. This will further facilitate social distancing in the communities we call home while continuing to serve our clients and customers.
Here’s how it will work:
· In the coming days, managers will arrange for those team members who can effectively work from home to begin doing so. The start date for this arrangement is entirely within each manager’s discretion and we recognize that this may take some time to arrange, particularly for our larger corporate centers.
· If you are in scope for this arrangement, your manager will provide you with details that will allow for this to be implemented in a thoughtful and controlled manner. Managers will need to assess staffing to ensure we continue to operate at the highest levels.
· Prioritization of work will be critical as we implement these arrangements. Managers will determine if teams should rotate.
This will be our work plan for employees globally until further notice, but we do not expect this approach to be static. We will continue to adjust our response as new information is released by health and government authorities. In addition, staffing needs will likely vary over time depending on client demand, job responsibilities and our ability to execute operations remotely.
Again, this is only for employees who have roles that can be performed from home. We know many of you need to continue to work on site because of your customer-facing roles or other jobs that cannot be done from home — particularly in our branches and call centers. We are actively reviewing how we can best support you at this time, and will share more information with you very soon. Your work during this extraordinary time is critically important to our customers, and we are very grateful to you for what you do every day and always.
We are proud of every one of you and your response to the shifting situation around COVID-19. Your commitment to delivering best-in-class service to our clients and customers in a rapidly changing environment is inspiring, and we thank you again for all that you’re doing.
“Because of the nature of this disease, we know that we are going to continue to see an increased number of cases in Delaware. This announcement brings Delaware’s total positive cases to seven,” said Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health Dr. Karyl Rattay.