Chancellor Judy C. Miner sent the following message via email to Foothill-De Anza district employees.
July 21, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to inform you of a new instance of COVID-19 at Foothill College and an update on the earlier instance at the Foothill Dental Clinic.
KFJC
The District was notified Sunday that a volunteer disc jockey at KFJC Radio Station on the Foothill College campus tested positive for COVID-19. The volunteer last worked on July 3 and experienced symptoms on July 8. The disc jockey reported that they were tested on July 13 and received a positive COVID-19 result on Saturday, July 18. The individual noted that they were probably infected at their place of employment and that they were faring well despite the flu-like symptoms.
All personnel working at the radio station have been notified and no one else has reported COVID-19 symptoms. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, as the disc jockey has not been on campus since July 3, we feel there is a minimal chance that any other volunteer at the radio station is likely to have contracted COVID-19 from the affected individual. We are asking the radio station volunteers to continue to self-monitor as a precaution.
KFJC staff follow the CDC and Santa Clara County Public Health guidelines, which include maintaining safe social distancing, wearing facial coverings/masks, and performing self-checking for COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath) before coming onto campus. All personnel working at the station perform a gel-in and gel-out routine using an approved hand sanitizer.
The radio station has one person working at a time. Disc jockeys only briefly encounter one another during a change in shifts. Each disc jockey cleans all radio station surfaces at the beginning and end of each shift; there are typically five to six shifts per day. A deeper cleaning of all station surfaces (including the bathroom) is performed twice a week by station personnel.
The KFJC Radio Station is an essential program: it has to maintain the Emergency Alert System (EAS) for the South Bay, provide the community with COVID-19 alerts, and meet FCC requirements for continuous broadcasting as a public service. Given the importance of KFJC for the local community and the station’s careful adherence to all required COVID-19 protocols, we support uninterrupted operation of the station.
Foothill Dental Clinic
Both the student and faculty member who were possibly exposed to the patient who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days after the appointment in the clinic on July 6th have tested negative. While we are grateful to hear that news, we are concerned for the custodian who cleaned the restrooms for 5200 and has developed symptoms of a runny nose and cough. The individual has been tested for COVID-19 and will remain at home until the results are received. I know we all wish our colleague well.
Please continue to follow CDC guidance: we care about you and your loved ones.
Sincerely,
Judy