RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Employment Commission has temporarily closed its headquarters in Richmond after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
Four VEC employees have now tested positive for the virus in the past three months, the agency said Tuesday, which prompts the office to undergo a thorough cleaning every time.
“Our employees have been working long hours for countless days as a result of the hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ellen Marie Hess, commissioner of VEC, said in a statement.
Three hundred and fifty employees assigned to the East Broad Street headquarters office must now work from home. The agency said that office closing temporarily will have “minimal impact on operations” as most of these employees have been already teleworking due to the pandemic.
“Most importantly, I want the people we serve to know that we understand how important it is to get their benefits as quickly as possible, and we remain dedicated to helping our fellow Virginians in this time of need,” Hess continued.
VEC said that call centers and district offices are not affected and that the agency will continue to process unemployment claims. People who do receive a paper check for their claims could see a slight delay.
RELATED LINKS:
- Issues filing for unemployment? Here is how to contact the Virginia Employment Commission
- As Virginia reopens, those refusing to return to work could lose unemployment benefits
- Unemployed and making more: Some Virginia employers say workers refuse to come back
