News Flash

ilani has confirmed that one of its employees has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is a Cowlitz
County resident. The employee will remain isolated until they are no longer contagious. Cowlitz County
Health and Human Services (CCHHS) is working with ilani to identify and notify all close contacts who may
have been exposed to the employee while they were contagious. All close contacts will be asked to
quarantine for 14 days. The investigation is ongoing. If health officials believe there is a risk to members of
the public who visited ilani, health officials will make an announcement with that information. Further action,
such as ordering the casino to close or requiring additional measures, will not occur as health officials do
not have that authority. The casino is on tribal land and they are a sovereign nation.

Public health nurses conduct contact tracing investigations for every identified COVID-19 positive patient
in Cowlitz County. Investigations include at least one interview, sometimes several over the course of
several days, with the patient (if they are well enough to speak), or with their personal representative (if
available). During these interviews the nurses determine the contagious period for each case (DOH
guidelines indicate the contagious period to start 48 hours prior to first symptoms). If a case was reported
to CCHHS by another jurisdiction, or close contacts of a case live in another jurisdiction, CCHHS staff will
work with the other jurisdictions as appropriate.

Staff also contact any individuals who may have been exposed to a person during the contagious period.
This includes persons living in the same home with the person who’s been infected, and assessment and
notification of other close contacts during the contagious period. Persons identified as being exposed are
instructed to self-quarantine. A close contact for COVID-19 is defined as being within 6 feet of a person
with confirmed novel coronavirus infection for a prolonged period of time or has had direct contact with
secretions from a person with confirmed novel coronavirus infection. The definition of “close contact” used
in Washington is the same as the CDC definition.

Cowlitz County Health and Human Services and the Incident Management Team will continue to provide
local updates on the Cowlitz COVID-19 coronavirus webpage at www.cowlitzcovid19.com.

Follow us at:
Twitter - @CowlitzDEM
Instagram - cowlitzcountydem
Facebook - Cowlitz Covid-19 Incident Management Team
Previous Press Releases: www.cowlitzcovid19.com