HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania will spend nearly $5 million on a contract to sterilize the Capitol Complex, which includes the Capitol building itself and nearby office buildings.
The Capitol closed to visitors in March due to Gov. Tom Wolf's shutdown order. It reopened in June with COVID-19 mitigation measures in place, such as requiring masks and requiring visitors stand at least six feet apart.
Even so, several legislators who had spent time in the building tested positive for COVID-19, though it's unknown if that's where they caught it.
The contract to sterilize the Capitol Complex comes after a state custodial worker tested positive for COVID-19.
However a spokesperson for the Department of General Services said in a statement,
"The consideration of the Capitol Complex Sterilization contract was in process prior the custodial staff member testing positive for COVID-19. While the positive case does strengthen the need for the sterilization contract, it was not the sole reason for the contract. At this point, details for the scope and terms of the cleaning contract will not be available until the contract has been finalized."
The total cost of the contract is $4,976,888.90.