SIDNEY — The Sidney-Shelby County Health Department has received several questions/concerns regarding the prevention of COVID-19 for businesses and employees. The Health Department is requiring businesses to actively protect their employees by following the actions ordered by the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC.
Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, M.D., MPH, requires that businesses and employers take the following actions:
• Allow as many employees as possible to work from home by implementing policies in areas such as teleworking and video conferencing.
If employees do report to workplaces:
• Actively encourage sick employees to stay home until they are free of fever (without the use of medication) for at least 72 hours (three full days) AND symptoms have improved for at least 72 hours AND at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first began. Do not require a healthcare provider’s note to validate the illness or return to work of employees sick with acute respiratory illness; healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.
• Ensure that your sick leave policies are up to date, flexible, and non-punitive to allow sick employees to stay home to care for themselves, children, or other family members. Consider encouraging employees to do a self-assessment each day to check if they have any COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, or shortness of breath).
• Provide sufficient and readily available protection supplies such as soap and water, hand sanitizer, tissues, and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.
• Ensure (to the greatest extent possible) that employees are maintaining at least six-foot distancing from other individuals.
• Separate employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms from other employees and send them home immediately. Restrict their access to the business until they have recovered.
• Reinforce key messages — stay home when sick, use cough and sneeze etiquette, and practice hand hygiene — to all employees, and place posters in areas where they are most likely to be seen.
• Frequently perform enhanced environmental cleaning of commonly touched surfaces, such as workstations, countertops, railings, door handles, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces can be wiped down by employees before each use.
Be prepared to change business practices if needed to maintain critical operations (e.g., identify alternative suppliers, prioritize customers, or temporarily suspend some of your operations).
Post online whether the facility is open and how best to reach the facility and continue services by phone or remotely.
For answers to your COVID-19 questions, call 833-4-ASK-ODH (833-427-5634).
If you have questions as to whether or not your business is considered “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, refer to the “Director’s Stay At Home Order” at the following link: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHOOD/2020/03/22/file_attachments/1407840/Stay%20Home%20Order.pdf
Also, see the following resources below:
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html
The Sidney-Shelby County Health Department does not provide sick care, treatment, or testing for COVID-19.
If you are sick, contact your primary care provider (PCP).
If you have a cough or any respiratory symptoms:
• Cover your mouth with a scarf, mask, or other barrier
• Avoid contact with others
• Wash hands and sanitize often
• Cover your mouth with tissue or sleeve when sneezing
For more information, visit:
• http://www.shelbycountyhealthdept.org/
• www.coronavirus.ohio.gov
