Return to Work Criteria after Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Diagnosis

These are guidelines which may be superseded by your local department of health.

Self-monitoring: All colleagues need to be vigilant in monitoring themselves for symptoms of illness since exposure can happen at work or in the community.

Colleagues that are symptomatic: Colleagues that exhibit symptoms of illness such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, body aches or runny nose will be sent home to self-isolate.

Length of home self-isolation if not tested for COVID-19:

• Exclude from work until at least 3 full days have passed since colleague began to recover,meaning colleague has been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms such as cough and sore throat have improved and
• 7 days have passed since the onset of symptoms.
• Once colleague returns to work, colleague will wear a facemask until full resolution of all symptoms, or until 14 days have passed since symptom onset, whichever is longer.
• Colleague should be restricted from contact with severely immunocompromised patients until 14 days from symptom onset.
• In situations of emergency staffing needs, colleague may return to work sooner wearing a facemask if supervisor and a provider are consulted and agree.
• If colleague has an alternative diagnosis such as influenza or strep throat, use that return to work guidance instead of this COVID-19 guidance.

Length of home self-isolation if testing was performed for COVID-19:

• Resolutions of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
• Improvement in respiratory symptoms and
• Negative results from two consecutive COIVD-19 nasopharyngeal swab specimens collected≥24 hours apart.
• Once colleague returns to work, colleague will wear a facemask until full resolution of all symptoms or until 14 days have passed since symptom onset whichever is longer.
• Colleague should be restricted from contact with severely immunocompromised patients until 14 days since symptom onset.

Colleague with high risk exposure: Colleague that was present during an aerosolizing procedure on a known positive COVID patient, without the use of a facemask and eye protection, will be treated as symptomatic.

Colleagues that are asymptomatic after a known exposure to COVID-19:

• Wear a facemask while at work.
• Self-monitor for symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, body aches or runny nose.
• Take temperature twice a day.
• Colleagues that show up for work are attesting they are asymptomatic.
• Notify your supervisor immediately if you become symptomatic.