What do we do if an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19?
Think HR - August 12, 2020
Question: What do we do if an employee is
diagnosed with COVID-19?
Answer: First, notify other employees of
potential exposure, if any, in the workplace. You should tell
them that someone was diagnosed with the illness, but you should
not identify which employee is sick, even if employees ask so
they can gauge their own risk. Medical information, such as a
diagnosis, must be kept confidential. It’s okay if they figure it
out on their own, but make sure you’re not the one to reveal the
information.
Exposed employees probably don’t need to quarantine unless they
had close contact for a prolonged period of time (this isn’t
precisely defined, but 15 minutes at less than 6 feet apart would
qualify, even with masks). The CDC updates these guidelines as
needed, so you can check this
page for the latest information.
Next, you should follow CDC and local health department guidance
on cleaning and quarantining. Areas of the worksite where the
infected person worked or visited should be closed for 24 hours,
or as long as possible, then thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Here’s a page with detailed
CDC guidance.
The sick employee should talk to their healthcare provider to
determine when to return. For those who have a presumptive case
of COVID-19 (meaning they didn’t get a test), their provider will
probably let them return 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.