What To Do If An Employee Has COVID-19

1. NOTIFY EMPLOYEES

If you have other employees who may have been exposed, you should notify them of the possible exposure immediately. By letting them know that an employee has been diagnosed they can gauge their own risk.

Remember that medical information must be kept confidential per the ADA, so it’s important not to disclose which employee was diagnosed. If your employees figure it out on their own that is ok, but make sure you are not the one to divulge that information.

Per the CDC, by following the Public Health Recommendations for Community-Related Exposure,  most workplaces should instruct potentially exposed employees to stay home for 14 days, telework if possible, and self-monitor for symptoms.

2. CLEAN & QUARANTINE

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, follow the CDC guidelines and your local health department recommendations on cleaning and possible quarantining.  For 24 hours (or as long as possible) you should close areas where the infected employee visited or worked and follow up with a thorough cleaning and disinfecting. 

3. Returning to Work

The employee who was diagnosed should work closely with their healthcare provider to determine when it’s safe for them to return to work.

For those that did not get tested but it is presumed they have COVID, they will probably be allowed to return to work when:

• At least 24 hours have passed since recovery, defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms and,

• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

4. maintain Healthy business operations

COVID-19 has the potential to impact your business operations immensely. Designating a point person to handle all COVID-related issues can help minimize the impact.

Other things to keep in mind:

• The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employersexternal icon to provide their employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.

• Employers with fewer than 500 employees are eligible for 100% tax creditsexternal icon for Families First Coronavirus ​Response Act COVID-19 paid leave provided through December 31, 2020, up to certain limits.

See more recommendations for maintaining healthy business operations.

Amber E.

HR Manager

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