4.16.2020
As a follow up to our earlier post about employer requirements for recording and reporting COVID-19 cases, the following steps are those an employer should take upon learning that an employee has symptoms of COVID-19 or has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Employer Steps for Employees with COVID-19:
- Instruct employees with symptoms of COVID-19 to notify their supervisor and stay home.
- If an employee has tested positive for COVID-19 or has been diagnosed by a healthcare practitioner to have COVID-19, employers should inform the employee’s coworkers of their possible exposure to COVID-19, while preserving the employee’s confidentiality.
- Follow the CDC guidance concerning cleaning and disinfecting the workplace. The guidance can be found here.
Currently, the New Jersey coronavirus information hotline is advising that employers do not need to report employees who test positive to the New Jersey Department of Health. However, employers may wish to check with the New Jersey Department of Health and their local Department of Health for further guidance.
Additional Instructions for Employers that Have Employees with COVID-19:
Employers should remind sick employees to follow the CDC-recommended steps for those who have COVID-19, which can be found here. Employers should instruct employees with COVID-19 to not report for work until they meet the CDC’s criteria to discontinue home isolation. That determination must be made by the employee in consultation with their healthcare provider and their local Department of Health.
If you are an employer with questions about how to handle COVID-19 exposure in the workplace, please contact Tracy Armstrong or any member of the Wilentz Employment Law Team.
The postings on this blog were created for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice or a solicitation to provide legal services. Although we attempt to ensure that the postings are complete, accurate, and current as of the time of publication, we assume no responsibility for their completeness, accuracy, or timeliness. The information in this blog is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional legal counsel.
This blog may contain links to independent third party websites and services, including social media. We provide these links for your convenience, and you access them at your own risk. We have no control over and do not monitor the content or policies (including privacy policies) of these third-party websites and have no responsibility for, and no liability with respect to, their content, accuracy, or reliability. Unless expressly stated, we do not endorse any of the linked websites or any product, service, or publication referenced herein or therein. We will remove a link to any site from this blog upon request of the linked entity.
We grant permission to readers to link to this blog so long as this blog is not misrepresented. This site is not sponsored or associated with any other site unless so identified.
If you wish for Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., to consider representing you, please obtain contact information from the Contact Us area of this blog or go to the firm’s website at www.wilentz.com. One of our lawyers will be happy to discuss the possibility of representation with you. However, the authors of Wilentz blogs are licensed only in New Jersey and/or New York and do not wish to represent anyone who viewed this site in a state where the site fails to comply with all laws and ethical rules of that state.
