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Sacramento Lottery Field Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A California Lottery field employee has tested positive for COVID-19 and now staffers are concerned hundreds of others may be at risk.

The field rep was tested for coronavirus and got a positive result Saturday, but staffer's inside the lottery's Sacramento district office said they feel this could have been avoided if their bosses made better decisions as this virus was beginning.

"I'm union at the California Lottery and I hate to say we felt we saw this coming," Paulina, a field rep, said

Several California Lottery employees said they're now scared for their life.

"Trying to convince Lottery management to pull us out of the field," Paulina said. "We're in liquor stores, gas stations, we're in contact with lots of members of the public."

Those field reps are now grounded, but Paulina and her fellow lottery co-workers feel it was a decision made too late. She says they were pushed to do their jobs until last week on the frontlines of a growing virus.

"I think the lottery gambled with the lives of the Sales Reps by not pulling us out sooner, were non-essential employees," Paulina said.

The state lottery tells CBS13 they are aware of the positive case and they have now closed the Sacramento district office to be cleaned and sanitized.

In more devastating news, Paulina tells us a close friend of hers who's a lottery employee in the bay area, has also tested positive and now fighting for their life on a ventilator.

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