The N.C. Education Lottery’s Wilmington regional office and claim center closed Tuesday after staff entered quarantine due to potential exposure to COVID-19.

The closing occurred Tuesday afternoon after an employee reported possible COVID-19 symptoms.

No COVID-19 cases have been confirmed at the Wilmington office, but the lottery closed the office temporarily as a precaution.

The employee worked at the office on Tuesday, but no close contact occurred with the public who visited the claim center. As a precaution, the lottery encourages anyone who visited Tuesday to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.

The Wilmington office will remain closed until Monday, March 1, due to staffing. Cleaning of the office occurred Tuesday.

At all lottery offices, employees assisting the public wear masks and gloves at all times while at work. Claim centers employees are separated from visitors by a glass window, talk with visitors through a microphone, and accept and return tickets and claim forms through a small opening at the base on the window. Those safety steps are taken to ensure the safety of the public and lottery employees.

All claim centers are cleaned thoroughly daily and undergo cleaning throughout the day while the center is open to the public, following state and CDC guidelines. The lottery also limits the number of visitors who can be inside a claim center at the same time to allow for appropriate social distancing and requires visitors to wear a mask or facial covering.

While the Wilmington office is closed, the next closest claim center would be in Raleigh or Greenville. For assistance, please call Customer Services at (877) 382-4530 or visit the lottery’s website for information on how to claim by mail at https://nclottery.com/ClaimPrizes.