Employer Guidance: COVID-19 and Return to Work

By Martin Chaney, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Maury Regional Health

As we continue to see increases in the cases of COVID-19 in our region, many employers will be faced with employees who test positive and must isolate. If you learn that an employee is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19, we recommend the following:

Close the area

• Close any areas used for prolonged periods of time by the employee.

• Wait 24 hours (or as long as possible) before cleaning and disinfecting to minimize exposure to those cleaning. Be sure to use products that meet EPA criteria and are appropriate for the surface. Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for cleaning and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use, paying close attention to the amount of time the product must remain on the surface to kill the virus.

• Increase air circulation in the area.

Determine possible exposure

• You will need to inform any employee and/or customer who may have been exposed. This may include those who work in close proximity with the suspected/confirmed employee, those using the same or adjacent work area and those using common break areas, depending upon your masking-at-work guidelines.

• You must maintain confidentiality in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act.

• Instruct potentially exposed employees to stay home for 14 days, work remotely if possible and self-monitor for symptoms.

Have a return-to-work plan

When can an employee return to work? It is imperative that you follow all employment laws; however, these are the medical facts we know today:

• Most patients diagnosed with COVID-19 do not require hospitalization but should self-quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. The patient should have improving symptoms (without taking any fever-reducing medications) for at least 24 hours before leaving the house or being in close contact with anyone. 

• According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, a test-based return-to-work strategy is no longer recommended because in many cases it prohibits a person who is no longer infectious from returning to work.

We are aware that some employers are requiring a negative COVID-19 test in order for an individual who has tested positive to return to work. It is important to know that individuals presenting for COVID-19 testing after the required 10-day isolation period often test positive even though they are past the stage of spreading the virus.

Additional guidance for employers may be found on the CDC website at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html.