Some 43 workers at Marin Sanitary Service have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the company confirmed Friday.
Marin County public health workers this week tested each of the 288 employees at the waste management company, which operates a garbage dump and recycling center in San Rafael and hauls trash and recyclables in several of Marin’s cities and towns.
The companywide testing came after an initial case was reported June 8, and several workers contracted the virus in the following days, said company president Patty Garbarino.
Garbarino said the majority of workers who tested positive work in the company’s sorting facility and don’t interact with customers. One truck driver and one mechanic also tested positive, she said.
The company, which has been operating throughout Marin’s coronavirus shutdown as an “essential” business, has followed stringent safety protocols, according to Garbarino. Workers are required to maintain at least six feet of distance between each other, sanitize their hands and wear masks and other personal protective equipment, she said.
All of the company’s facilities will stay open, according to Garbarino.
“We’re going to get through this,” she said, “and we’re going to pull in whatever resources we possibly can to do that.”
Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said when a worker contracts coronavirus in any workplace, health officials encourage the entire staff to get tested.
“A dozen or so businesses thus far have seen more than one staff member become infected, and we’ve been working closely with those businesses to do comprehensive screening of all their employees,” he said.
