A county maintenance man tested positive for COVID-19 early last week, and his union is unhappy with the county's response to the news.

John Listisen, business manager at Service Employees International Union Local 688, said the employee mainly works in the Butler County Prison, but in other county buildings as well.

He said on Aug. 20, the man, a county employee for 15 years, did not feel well and noticed he could not taste or smell anything.

After researching the symptoms online, the man decided to have a test for COVID-19.

He told his supervisors he had the test scheduled Aug. 24, Listisen said. The supervisor advised the employee not to return to work until further notice.

The man reportedly received a positive result Aug. 26 and is in quarantine at home.

Listisen said county officials have not told those with whom he was working about the positive test, nor did they ask who he was around in the days before the symptoms appeared.

“Our concern is they knew Wednesday that he tested positive and still, as of today, none of the employees who were around him and were possibly exposed were notified by the employer,” Listisen said. “The union is very concerned about this and the county's response has been troublesome.”

But Kevin Boozel, county commissioner, said while the county has stringent protocols in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it falls to the state Department of Health to perform contact tracing after a positive case is reported to them by medical professionals.

“If an employee has symptoms, we say, 'Call the doctor and get tested,'” Boozel said. “From that point on, it becomes their personal health matter and is turned over to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.”

He said the department should then assign the case to a nurse and tracer, who will ask who the man has been around for a certain period of time without a mask.

The tracer would then notify those individuals that they were exposed to COVID-19, but would not tell them who tested positive.

Boozel said the county has a very stringent mask requirement and sanitization protocol, and has an isolation area for those with symptoms who are scheduled for a hearing to get a protection from abuse order in a teleconference with a county judge.

“We've been putting a lot of mitigation efforts in since this began,” Boozel said.

He said departments have also been switched around, so the ones frequently visited by citizens are easily accessible on the first floor.

“I'm very confident in the process we have set up,” Boozel said. “It's something we will continue to learn from and continue to improve.”

He said the commissioners would be happy to listen to the concerns of any workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

“If there are concerns, we are more than welcoming to address them,” Boozel said.

He said he was unaware that an employee had tested positive for COVID-19, but said employees' specific health issues would not be discussed publicly.