Good Morning,
There have been a lot of COVID-19 rumors flying around this week that I would like to address.
- Currently, we have no confirmed COVID-19 positive or suspected cases among our employees.
- Last week, one of our employees was asked to self-quarantine by the Washtenaw County Health Department due to possible exposure to a family member who later tested positive for COVID-19. That employee is currently self-quarantined.
As your employer, we are obligated by law to protect the privacy of employees’ health information. We will continue to balance this obligation with the need to keep our employees informed and safe, especially during this pandemic.
Once again, I want to remind you that we all need to continue to practice good hygiene, appropriate social distancing and follow the current mask/face covering protocol. Answering the current screening questions daily remains a priority. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have had “close contact” with a COVID-19 positive person, do not report to work. Contact your supervisor and me, (734) 255-0818, immediately.
“Close contact” means being closer than 6 feet for more than 15 minutes from an individual who tested positive for COVID-19.
I hope this doesn’t happen but if we ever have an employee test positive or truly suspect they have COVID-19, here are the steps we will follow:
- The COVID-19 positive employee will be instructed to stay home and self-isolate.
- If they had symptoms, they should not return to work for at least 10 days after symptoms first started and 72 hours (3 full days) after fever has resolved without the use of fever-reducing medicines and symptoms have vastly improved, whichever is longer.
- If they did not have symptoms, they should not return to work for 10 days past the day of their positive test.
- If they are not already aware, we will notify the Washtenaw County Health Department of the positive result. The health department will provide additional information and resources to the employee.
- We will notify employees who have been in recent “close contact” with the positive employee. “Close contact” means being closer than 6 feet for more than 15 minutes from an individual who tested positive for COVID-19.It does not matter if the individuals were wearing face coverings. These individuals will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days following the last date of contact with the positive employee.
- The work area and equipment used by the positive employee will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
- We will notify all potentially impacted people, including those who may have had casual contact with the positive individual. Anyone who had casual contact with the positive person but not “close contact” is considered lower risk – similar to any time you leave the house and go out in public. These lower risk individuals will be instructed to self-monitor for symptoms and seek medical care if they develop symptoms.
If you are instructed to self-quarantine by a healthcare provider, your employer or a public health official, there are paid leave options available to you, including up to eighty (80) hours of paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
The information above comes directly from our county health department. I will continue to work closely with our senior management team, local health officials and legal counsel to make sure we are following all the necessary protocols during this time to keep you safe and appropriately informed.
If you have any questions, please contact me or Sheryl. You can also contact your county health department with questions or concerns related to COVID-19.
Thanks,
Nicole
