Feds Loosen COVID-19 Rules for Essential Workers
The Trump administration issued new guidelines Wednesday to make it easier for essential workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to return to work if they do not have symptoms.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced that essential employees, such as health care and food supply workers, who have been within 6 feet of a confirmed or suspected case of the virus can return to work under certain circumstances if they are not experiencing symptoms, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
CDC recommends that employees exposed to COVID-19 should take their temperatures before their shifts, wear face masks and practice social distancing at work. If they begin to feel ill, they should stay home, not share headsets or other objects that are used near the face, and refrain from hanging out in break rooms.
Under the new guidelines, employers are asked to take exposed workers’ temperatures and assess symptoms before allowing them to return to work, clean work surfaces, send workers home if they get sick and increase air exchange in workplaces, AP reports.
"America’s pig farmers have a long history of protecting people, pigs and the planet by doing the right things every day and we expect it to be no different even during this challenging time," says Dave Pyburn, chief veterinarian for the National Pork Board. "It’s critical to stay up-to-date and informed about COVID-19 as it relates to public health. Some reliable sites to regularly visit include cdc.gov/covid19 and state-specific public health websites. Also be sure to visit pork.org/covid-19 to see resources the Pork Checkoff has compiled and created specifically in support of the pork industry."
The new guidelines will not be a foolproof guard against spreading infection, the article said. Recent studies suggest around 10% of new infections might be sparked by contact with individuals who are infected but do not yet exhibit symptoms. It’s also possible that some people who develop symptoms and then recover from the virus remain contagious, or that some who are infected and contagious may never develop symptoms.
As of Wednesday, the U.S. had more than 400,000 confirmed cases of infection and 14,000 deaths from the virus. Health experts continue to caution Americans to practice social distancing and to avoid returning to their normal activities.
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said if the existing social distancing guidelines through the end of April are successful in halting the spread of the virus, more relaxed recommendations could be in order, AP reports. He hopes the pandemic will prompt more long-term investments in public health.
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