Long Beach officials reported on Friday, Jan. 15 that an employee of the Recreation Bureau in the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine died of coronavirus-related complications, the first city employee to die of the virus.
The person, whose name was not released due to privacy concerns, worked for the city for more than five years, officials said.
“It breaks my heart to lose a member of our city family, and we are keeping their loved ones in our hearts today,” Mayor Robert Garcia said Friday.
The employee last worked on Dec. 28, but the city did not release any further information about the person.
“We are all feeling the loss of this employee, who dedicated themselves to making the city of Long Beach a better place,” City Manager Tom Modica said. “I am grateful for their dedication and service to Long Beach, and my heart goes out to their family and friends.”
The city has reported 520 coronavirus-related deaths of Long Beach residents as of Friday.
