BMO Plaza worker has COVID-19, landlord says

The 28-story BMO Plaza office tower downtown informed tenants on Friday that an employee of one of the companies in the building has a confirmed case of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

In an email to tenants, the building manager did not identify the tenant but said it was below the 18th floor. It said the employee has not been in the building since March 12.

The email said that since March 9, cleaning personnel have been using “enhanced cleaning” practices on the building’s heavily touched surfaces, such as elevator buttons, door handles, water fountains and handrails. It also said that the affected tenant—which has temporarily closed—has hired a janitorial contractor to perform a deep disinfection on the affected floor or floors.

Employees who had contact with the person with COVID-19 are in self-quarantine, which will last 14 days, the email said.

The building manager who sent the email referred questions to Jacqueline Trost, a vice president of Detroit-based REDICO, which is part of a group that bought the 444,644-square-foot tower in 2018.

In an emailed statement, Trost said her company was not privy to the health status of the affected employee. “The safety of our tenants, visitors and guests is very important to us,” she said, noting that the company is following prevention guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has shared those with tenants.

BMO Plaza, 135 N. Pennsylvania St., was built in 1986. It has dozens of tenants, including BMO Harris, the U.S. Department of Defense, Aprimo, Quarles & Brady, Rubin & Levin and HWC Engineering.

The email said the affected employee will continue to be monitored by the Indiana State Department of Health.

State health officials on Friday reported that a third Hoosier had died after contracting COVID-19.

The person is the second Marion County resident who has died from the illness. A Johnson County resident also died.

The state reported 23 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing to 79 the number of Hoosiers diagnosed through the health department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private laboratories. All but one are adults.