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Virginia Emergency Management employee tests positive for virus

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RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) announced Sunday an agency employee tested positive for the virus.

"VDEM leadership has made appropriate notifications to others who may have also been exposed, and is currently working closely with the Virginia Department of Health," an agency spokesperson said. "VDEM has ensured that all employees are aware of the necessary precautions and preventative measures, as well as the steps necessary in the event of a possible exposure."

Additional details about the VDEM employee's condition were not released.

The VDEM announcement came the same day Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam banned all public gatherings of more than 100 people statewide and ordered a two-week shutdown of municipal offices in an area of southeast Virginia that has been hit by a cluster of coronavirus cases.

Northam made the announcement Sunday after meeting with local officials in the Peninsula Health District, where eight people have tested positive for the virus.

Those cases include a man in his 70s who died of respiratory failure caused by the virus.

The peninsula covers Williamsburg, Newport News, Poquoson, James City County and York County. Statewide, 45 people have tested positive for the virus.