Guidelines for Reporting COVID-19 in the Workplace

There has been a lot of confusion on what to do if an employee or colleague is experiencing symptoms or has been exposed to the virus.

The following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides step-by-step instructions on how to manage such a situation.

What to do if an employee reports exposure to symptomatic or COVID-19 positive individual?

1. Employers should record the date of exposure and determine if there was close contact
2. If there was no close contact between the employee and individual, the employee can continue to work and should self-monitor for 14 days
3. If the employee was in close contact with the individual, the employee should be advised to return home and self-monitor for 14 days while seeking a diagnosis from a healthcare provider

What can be called ‘close contact’?

Close contact is established if the employee was within 6 feet of the infected or symptomatic person or was exposed for 15 minutes without wearing PPE approved by NIOSH or CDC.

What to do if employee reports symptoms?

1. Record the date of the report and symptoms
2. Advise employee to self-monitor at home for 14 days, to contact a healthcare provider for testing and to notify the practice of the results

What to do if employee has positive COVID-19 results?

1. Notify the local health department and follow its instructions
2. Advise the employee to remain home, to contact a healthcare provider and to notify the practice of the results