Unemployment call center worker sick with corona-like symptoms

The employee's full status isn't known. Division of Employment Security Assistant Secretary Lockhart Taylor told employees in an email Tuesday afternoon that he or she "has not received a confirmed diagnosis at this time."

"The last time this employee was in the office was before the symptoms appeared," Taylor said in his email.

DES spokeswoman Kerry McComber told WRAL News late Wednesday that Taylor announced the situation in person in the Raleigh call center Tuesday and that employees "were told they could go home if they felt uncomfortable staying in the workplace."

"We are currently looking at options for call center staff to work from remote locations," McComber said.

Lockhart told DES employees in his email that he's in touch with the state health department and that he'll keep them updated.

"At this point, the health department advises that everyone in the state should be self-monitoring for symptoms, not come to work if sick and self-isolate at the first sign of symptoms," he said in the email. "All employees should use social distancing whenever possible."

It wasn't immediately clear Wednesday night how much social distancing is possible at the call center.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance states that "some spread" of the virus "might be possible before people show symptoms," but that "this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads."

"People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest)," the guidance states.