Southern Illinois Healthcare will close its primary care facility in Harrisburg Aug. 31 for deep cleaning after several employees contracted COVID-19, officials announced on Facebook.
The Carbondale-based health system said the move is "out of an abundance of caution." Patients with scheduled appointments Aug. 31 have the option of video and/or phone visits.
The employee exposures were from community contact, and officials do not believe patients were at risk, the health system said.
"While interacting with patients, all staff wear personal protective equipment and follow cleaning protocols throughout," the health system stated. "Due to these safety measures, we believe there is no risk of COVID-19 exposure to patients recently treated at the clinic."
Southern Illinois Healthcare also will close its outpatient rehabilitation and lab services Aug. 31 in Harrisburg, housed in the same building as its Primary Care Harrisburg.
The health system said it is collaborating with Egyptian Health Department and infectious disease personnel to begin contact tracing.