An employee working at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View has tested positive for the new coronavirus, prompting Ames officials to call for a mandatory work-from-home status effective Monday morning and lasting until further notice.

The federal agency said in a statement that it confirmed Sunday that one of the employees working at the research center tested positive for the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Though exposure to other employees on the site is believed to be limited, the research center has since been placed on "mandatory telework" status.

"The safety of our employees and their families is our top priority. Any decisions we have made, or will make, is with the safety of our workforce in mind," according to the statement Monday.

Access to the research center campus has since been restricted to essential personnel only, including safety and security staff and those who must be on-site for experiments. Ames workers who rely on specialized equipment and on-site labs are expected to receive "more guidance" from Ames officials, according to the statement.

With much of the workforce at home, public health officials and Ames medical personnel will have time to figure out who may have had contact with the virus, and assess which areas of the research center need cleaning to reduce further exposure.

Santa Clara County reported its first death on Monday, and five additional cases of COVID-19 were reported on Sunday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the county to 45. Heightened concerns over the spread of the virus has prompted local tech companies, including Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, to ask employees to work from home starting last week. Numerous city and regional events have also been canceled throughout the month of March.