Finance

Goldman says a New Jersey fitness center worker is 'suspected to have contracted' the coronavirus

Key Points
  • Goldman Sachs said that a gym worker employed by a vendor at its New Jersey office is suspected to have caught the coronavirus.
  • The bank said that the worker, an employee of a company called Optum, fell ill on Saturday, March 7, and has been quarantined since then, Goldman said in a staff email sent Wednesday. 
  • Another financial firm, the Bank of NY Mellon, said Thursday in an email to staff that an employee at its Jersey City office tested positive for coronavirus.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Goldman Sachs said that a gym worker employed by a vendor at its New Jersey office is suspected to have caught the coronavirus.

The bank said that the worker, an employee of a company called Optum, fell ill on Saturday, March 7, and has been quarantined since then, Goldman said in a staff email sent Wednesday. 

"Today, we learned that an Optum employee is suspected to have contracted COVID-19," the bank said. "Anyone who was in the 30H Fitness Center during the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 5 or Friday, March 6 should stay out of the office and self-isolate until more information becomes available."

The coronavirus has begun appearing at Wall Street firms in the past week. Morgan Stanley said an employee at its Purchase, New York office had the virus, and Barclays and BlackRock both said that employees in Manhattan offices had fallen ill. In response, banks have been splitting up teams and sending employees home to work remotely. 

Goldman said it is shuttering the gym at its Jersey City office "until further notice." 

On Thursday, the Bank of NY Mellon said in an email to staff that an employee at its Jersey City office tested positive for coronavirus. The firm sent everyone who worked on the building's fifth floor home.