The Sedona Chamber of Commerce announced on Thursday, June 25 that one of its employees had tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Monday, June 29, the chamber ’s Visitor Center remained closed. The plan is to reopen as soon as they have enough workers to cover the shifts.
In a letter to chamber members, President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff said the staff member tested positive after traveling to a family event in Phoenix. As a result, Wesselhoff has temporarily closed the visitor center on Forest Road and the chamber’s administration building on Sunset Drive.
“I have also directed staff and volunteers who had contact with this employee to seek testing through their health care provider,” Wesselhoff wrote. “I have notified the Chamber Board, Mayor Sandy Moriarty and City Manager Justin Clifton of these developments.”
She said this particular staff member works mainly at the Visitor Center but did not have contact with any visitors between the employee’s exposure in Phoenix on June 13 and self-quarantining on June 19.
“This is possible because this person is on the administrative team, which generally does not deal directly with visitors,” she wrote.
Since reopening with safety protocols in place on May 18, the Visitor Center was operating with tables staffed by volunteers at its two entrances. Visitors do not enter the building and do not generally encounter administrative staff, and vice versa. The volunteers working the tables are masked, wear gloves and practice social distancing at all times.
There are two things Wesselhoff emphasized in her letter. First, Wesselhoff believes the staff member’s infection was not the result of a visitor from Phoenix coming to Sedona. It resulted in interacting with family members in Phoenix. Secondly, the Visitor Center and the people who stop by, work or volunteer there had no role at all in the employee’s positive COVID- 19 result.
“I look forward to our staff member’s quick recovery and to reopening our Visitor Center as soon as it is practical and safe to do so,” Wesselhoff said. “In the meantime, our Visitor Center will continue to offer services by phone, email and live chat at visitsedona.com.”
