When COVID-19 Hit Our Office, Here's What We Did

My officemate tested positive for COVID-19. I am among the close contacts.

Last week, I read a similar article about a university undergoing a lockdown after an employee contracted the virus. In an unexpected turn of events, the same thing happened to our office.

How Did It Happen?

Rumors were all over the office yesterday that a colleague caught the virus. We were so anxious while waiting for confirmation from the management. Later in the day, our boss released a statement confirming that an officemate tested positive and we'll be canceling some of our shows throughout the day to conduct mass testing and disinfection of facilities.

We were asked to line up in the office clinic to undergo an antigen test. There were at least 24 people identified as close contacts. I was one of them.

How Did I Become A Close Contact?

Let me walk you through our office grind.

I work as a news producer in one of the most prominent broadcast companies in the Philippines. I lead a team of production people in airing our shows inside the control room.

The person who tested positive is among the key people in broadcasting our programs which usually lasts for 30 minutes. Without him, we can't air our shows. In short, I work closely with him, every single day, for 30 minutes.

According to the Philippine Department of Health, a person is considered a close contact if he or she stayed in the same enclosed space or room with a confirmed case within 15 minutes or more.

The last time I was with the person who tested positive was last August 23rd for more than 30 minutes.

While doing our tasks, I didn't notice any unusual behavior from him. I didn't hear him cough or sneeze. He looked joyful and energetic at that time. I didn't even suspect that he caught the virus.

How Did We Deal With It?

The management was kind enough to hide the identity of our confirmed case to keep his privacy safe and avoid judgment.

Instead, they focused on testing us. As mentioned earlier, we were instructed to undergo an antigen test. We lined up outside the office clinic and waited for our turn since there were more than 20 of us.

I was anxious while waiting in line. I was overthinking of what could probably happen next? What if I tested positive, too? What will happen to my family whom I just joined for lunch one day ago? Will there be an available isolation facility for me? These were all running in my head while waiting for my turn.

Then the testing happened.

Our office nurse instructed me to remove my face mask and face shield. He warned me that there will be a discomfort while he's swabbing my nose. It didn't take long but it hurt a little bit. He said that the result will be sent through SMS by the head of our Human Resources Department.

The Result Was...

Negative. Thank God! I tested negative for COVID-19. All my worries instantly faded away. I immediately told my family and loved ones the result.

Fortunately, all the other close contacts tested negative.

After the mass testing, we were sent home immediately and instructed to self-isolate.

And for us to continue our operations and serve the audiences, we were asked to work from home.

Hmm. Working from home is a real challenge for me. (Great topic for a new article 😉)

Lessons Learned

This experience caused a lot of stress to everyone - from the confirmed case to the management to the close contacts and to our families.

If there's one thing that I learned, that's to be extra careful wherever we are - in the office or even at home. Wear a mask, wash your hands thoroughly, avoid crowds, stay a meter away from everyone, and most of all, get vaccinated. (Oops, another great topic to discuss, vaccination! 😉)

We are dealing with a more ferocious and transmissible variant of coronavirus now.

Keeping ourselves safe means keeping our loved ones safe.

If you were the boss and one of your employees tested positive, how are you going to deal with it? Have you encountered a similar experience before? Tell me about it in the comment section! 😊

#covid19 #office #anxious