Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionI may have been exposed to COVID-19 but am not showing symptoms. Should I report to work? (Updated 12/16/20)
If you were notified that you were a close contact of someone who is has COVID-19, do not report to work until the end of the quarantine period in accordance with DOH Guildelines. Contact your immediate supervisor and discuss with your healthcare provider for guidance. The PA DOH and CDC recommend you seek testing 5 days after exposure. A Return to Work Status Form is required to return to the worksite.
Quarantine periods for close contacts of a positive case are usually 14 days but there are options to reduce the quarantine period. Contact your HR office or Supervisor to determine which quarantine periods are applied at your workplace. Quarantine could end after day 10 without diagnostic testing if the close contact reported no symptoms during the quarantine period. Daily symptom monitoring, masking and physical distancing must be maintained until the end of the 14-day quarantine period. Quarantine could end after day 7 if diagnostic testing conducted on day 5 or after is negative and if no symptoms are reported during daily symptom monitoring. Daily symptom monitoring, masking and physical distancing must be maintained until the end of the 14-day quarantine period. Proof of negative diagnostic testing must be provided in order to end the quarantine period after day 7.
How should I notify my supervisor if I have tested positive or was told I was a probable positive case for COVID-19? What are the next steps?
You should contact your supervisor through your normal channels of communication and advise them that you have tested positive or are probable positive for COVID-19. Inform your supervisor how long you are required to isolate and discuss the appropriate leave to use. You may be eligible for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. Contact your FMLA Specialist at 717-346-4667 for more information regarding the use of ES leave. Contact your supervisory staff or agency HR office with questions regarding the use of paid or other leave without pay options. Guidance on the appropriate leave to use can also be found on the
COVID-19 Leave Information website.
Prior to returning to work, you will need a
Return to Work Status Form completed by your health care provider and submitted to the HR Service Center – FMLA Services (fax: 717-425-5389 or email:
ra-spfabsence@pa.gov). This will document that you have been released to return to work. You should also speak with your supervisor to make arrangements for your return.
Should I come to work if someone in my household has COVID-19? (Updated 12/16/20)
If someone in your household is confirmed or probable positive for COVID-19, you should quarantine and contact your health care provider to discuss testing for COVID-19. You will not be permitted back in the workplace until your quarantine period has ended in accordance with DOH guidelines.
Quarantine periods for close contacts of a positive case are usually 14 days but there are options to reduce the quarantine period. Quarantine could end after day 10 without diagnostic testing if the close contact reported no symptoms during the quarantine period. Contact your HR office or Supervisor to determine which quarantine periods are applied at your workplace.Daily symptom monitoring, masking and physical distancing must be maintained until the end of the 14-day quarantine period. Quarantine could end after day 7 if diagnostic testing conducted on day 5 or after is negative and if no symptoms are reported during daily symptom monitoring. Daily symptom monitoring, masking and physical distancing must be maintained until the end of the 14-day quarantine period. Proof of negative diagnostic testing must be provided in order to end the quarantine period after day 7.
Consult with your supervisor on the appropriate type of leave to use. You may be eligible for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. For more information, contact the HR Service Center – FMLA Services at 866-377-2672 to obtain guidance on the appropriate leave to use.
The
COVID-19 Leave Information website is also a source of information available to you.
If someone in my household tests positive or is probable positive, are my coworkers at risk?
Employees who had contact with the person who is now self-quarantining due to a household exposure should continue to monitor their own health. Because it is not a direct exposure, there are no necessary immediate actions.
What leave should be used if an employee meets screening guidance to be sent home, but has not tested positive for COVID-19 or been in contact with a known positive case?
If you exhibit symptoms during the screening process, but have not been tested, you will be sent home and advised to seek medical attention. Consult with your supervisor on the leave that may be available to you. You may be eligible for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. Contact your FMLA Specialist at 717-346-4667 for more information regarding the use of ES leave. Contact your supervisory staff or agency HR office with questions regarding the use of paid or other leave without pay options. Guidance on the appropriate leave to use can also be found on the COVID-19 Leave Information website.
If you were excluded from the workplace because you are experiencing symptoms, a Return to Work Status Form (provided to you at the health screening) must be completed by your health care provider and submitted to the HR Service Center – FMLA Services Unit (Fax: 717-425-5389 or email: ra-spfabsence@pa.gov. This will document that you have been released to return to work. You should also speak with your supervisor to make arrangements for your return.
If I have symptoms and I am asked to go home, do I need to use leave?
If you are showing symptoms and are asked to go home, you will need to use leave. Consult with your supervisor on the appropriate type of leave to use. You may be eligible for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. For more information contact the HR Service Center – FMLA Services at 866-377-2672 to obtain guidance on the appropriate leave to use. The COVID-19 Leave Information website is also a source of information available to you.
Do I need a doctor’s note to self-quarantine? Do supervisors have to approve all requests to self-quarantine?
You should have a justifiable reason to self-quarantine, such as direct exposure to COVID-19 or travel outside the state or country. Documentation from the health department or other contact tracing group will be required to confirm the need for you to close contact self-quarantine. Consult with your supervisor on the appropriate type of leave to use. You may be eligible for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. Contact your FMLA Specialist at 717-346-4667 for more information regarding the use of ES leave. Contact your supervisory staff or agency HR office with questions regarding the use of paid or other leave without pay options. Guidance on the appropriate leave to use can also be found on the COVID-19 Leave Information website.
Will I be notified if a coworker is diagnosed with COVID-19?
You will be informed if someone in your worksite is a positive case for COVID-19, but you will not be told their name. Management or a supervisor should talk with the employee who is a positive case about coworkers who may have had close contact.
You will be notified if you may have had close contact with someone at the worksite who is a positive case for COVID-19. Again, the employee’s identity will not be disclosed out of respect for their privacy and in accordance with requirements to protect personal health information.
Individuals who downloaded the COVID Alert PA application on their personal devices may be notified that they are a close contact.
If a coworker leaves the office with symptoms, what should other employees do?
Symptoms are not necessarily indicative of a positive case of COVID-19.
You should continue to wear your mask, wash your hands frequently, practice physical distancing, and monitor your own health. If an employee has been designated as a positive COVID-19 case and you have had close contact with the employee, you will be notified to consult with your healthcare provider. Close contact within the work setting is defined as:
- Interaction with the positive case from 48 hours before symptom onset to the time the individual was removed from the workplace, and
- Being within approximately six feet of a positive COVID-19 case for a consecutive total of 15 minutes or more.
OR
- Direct physical contact (hug or kiss)
- Shared eating or drinking utensils
- Spread of respiratory droplets directly on you (through sneezing or coughing)
- The positive case was symptomatic
If a coworker leaves the office with symptoms, will the office be closed, and will additional cleaning be done?
In most instances, the office will not be closed since enhanced cleaning will occur in the employee’s immediate workspace as well as those areas where the employee frequented.
Will employees need to undergo health screenings at the start and end of the workday?
Once implemented, health screenings will occur at the beginning of employee shifts, but not at the end of the workday. Health screenings will now occur without an exposure due to an order from the Department of Health. In some cases, self-screening may be implemented.
Who will be responsible for ensuring that all employees are being screened?
Health screening stations will be staffed by supervisors or managers, or other designated staff.
Who will ensure that all employees are complying with health screening?
Agencies will review each worksite to determine the most appropriate entrance location(s) to conduct employee health screenings and inform employees which entrances they are to use. In some cases, health screening will be done in a work area instead of the entrances or self-screening will be implemented.
Can I refuse a health screening?
Health screening is intended to help prevent potential spread of COVID-19 to you and your coworkers.
Employees who refuse to be screened will be sent home and required to use leave for the remainder of the shift. Continued refusal to comply with health screening may result in corrective action, up and including removal from employment.
What if my temperature is 100.4 Fahrenheit or higher or I have COVID-19 symptoms?
You should not report to work if you have a temperature of 100.4 Fahrenheit or higher or if you have COVID-19 symptoms that are not related to a pre-existing medical condition. If you report to work, you may be instructed to return home and contact your health care provider for further assistance. You will also be provided with a Referral to Medical Services Notice and a Return to Work Status Form.
You should contact your supervisor to call off work and obtain guidance on what type of leave to use for your absence. You may be eligible for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. Contact your FMLA Specialist at 717-346-4667 for more information regarding the use of ES leave. Contact your supervisory staff or agency HR office with questions regarding the use of paid or other leave without pay options. Guidance on the appropriate leave to use can also be found on the
COVID-19 Leave Information website.
Your health care provider will certify your readiness to return to work by completing the
Return to Work Status Form. This form is to be returned to the HR Service Center – FMLA Services (fax: 717-425-5389 or email:
ra-spfabsence@pa.gov).
I have allergies. Can I be required to stay home because I have symptoms that mirror COVID-19?
No. If your worksite is health screenings, please notify the screener that you have a medical condition that causes symptoms such as runny nose or cough. Allergies and other illnesses like asthma and COPD are chronic conditions unrelated to COVID-19.
I telework but have been diagnosed as COVID-19 positive. What should I do?
If you were not in the office within the 48 hours before symptoms began, and are able to work, no action is necessary.
If you were in the workplace within the 48 hours before symptoms began, let your supervisor know and also let your supervisor know if you were in close contact with anyone else. Do not return to the office until you have spoken with your supervisor.
If you are unable to work, consult with your supervisor on the leave that may be available to you. You may be eligible for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. Contact your FMLA Specialist at 717-346-4667 for more information regarding the use of ES leave. Contact your supervisory staff or agency HR office with questions regarding the use of paid or other leave without pay options. Guidance on the appropriate leave to use can also be found on the COVID-19 Leave Information website.