NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Westchester County Department of Health issued an advisory on March 31st which supersedes guidance from the New York State Department of Health issued on March 28, 2020, to clarify that this applies to essential personnel who have been exposed to a confirmed OR suspected case of COVID-19.
Within certain criteria and mitigation steps, Essential Workers with a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 can return to work in as little as a week while those exposed to a person with COVID-19 can return to work immediately.
Under the March 31st WCDOH Advisory, essential personnel who have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19
can be permitted to work in the required workplace setting if all of the following conditions are met:
- Working from home would not be feasible for job duties;
- Personnel are asymptomatic;
- Personnel quarantine themselves when not at work;
- Personnel undergo temperature monitoring and symptom checks upon arrival to work and at least every 12 hours while at work, and self-monitor (i.e. take temperature, assess for symptoms) twice a day when at home;
- Personnel required to interact with individuals within 6 feet should wear a facemask1 while working for 14 days following the last exposure;
- Personnel whose job duties permit a separation of greater than 6 feet should have environmental controls in place to ensure adequate separation is maintained, and do not need to wear a facemask;
- If personnel develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, or shortness of breath) while working, they should immediately stop work and isolate at home; and
- Testing should be prioritized for essential personnel with symptoms.
Essential personnel with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 may be permitted to work in the required workplace setting if all of the following conditions are met:
- Working from home would adversely impact essential services or functions, including critical public health and public works infrastructure in New York or the response to the COVID-19 public health emergency;
- Personnel have maintained isolation for at least 7 days after illness onset (i.e. symptoms first appeared) and have not had a fever for at least 72 hours, without the use of fever- reducing medications, and with other symptoms improving;
- Personnel who are recovering from COVID-19, and return to work, must wear a facemask for 14 days following on set of illness.
For the purposes of this guidance, a facemask is a well-secured mask that covers the mouth and nose. No personal fit testing is necessary for a facemask.
Full details here.
CDC Guidelines here.