Below is a summary of information provided by the CDC for businesses and employers to prepare for the Coronavirus and how to respond to employee illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will update this interim guidance as needed and as additional information becomes available.
Recommended strategies for employers to use now:
- Actively encourage sick employees to stay home
- Separate sick employees
- Perform routine environmental cleaning
- Advise employees before traveling to take precautionary measures
Planning for Possible COVID-19 Outbreak
The severity of illness or how many people will fall ill from COVID-19 is unknown at this time. If there is evidence of a COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., employers should plan to be able to respond in a flexible way to varying levels of severity and be prepared to refine their business response plans as needed.
Planning Considerations
All employers need to consider how best to decrease the spread of acute respiratory illness and lower the impact of COVID-19 in their workplace in the event of an outbreak. They should identify and communicate their objectives, which may include one or more of the following:
- Reducing transmission among staff
- Protecting people who are at higher risk for adverse health complications
- Maintaining business operations
- Minimizing adverse effects on other entities in their supply chains.
