COVID Protocol
Assured Healthcare Staffing is urging staff members to adhere to the following protocols to minimize the spread of COVID-19 between facilities and homes.
Take temperature before reporting to work
Stay home if fever, cough, difficulty breathing or other symptoms are present
Use PPE appropriately at each worksite and sanitize and store or dispose of as recommended by the manufacturer or CDC
Wash hands according to the CDC hand washing protocol
Clean and disinfect shared areas regularly
For a confirmed or presumed positive case (someone who has COVID-19 symptoms), if the individual is still at work, immediately have them put on a mask (if available) and send them home. Instruct them to isolate for at least 7 days. They must be fever/symptom free without medication for at least 3 days before returning to work. They should also contact their healthcare provider or the Health Department for guidance.
Family/household members of the case are considered high risk and must self-quarantine at home for 14 days to monitor for symptoms.
Send home other workers who were directly exposed(1) to the case (close contacts).
Close contacts should self-quarantine at home for 14 days from the date of last contact with the case to monitor themselves for symptoms.(2)
Family/household members of close contacts are not considered high risk and do not need to self-quarantine unless the close contact develops symptoms.
If possible, close down areas used by the case and close contacts (including common areas) for thorough disinfection of all surfaces, especially high-touch surfaces.
Closing the area is not necessary if little or no common surfaces are used by the case or close contacts.
Once the case and close contacts have been sent home and their work areas have been disinfected, the worksite may re-open and other staff may return.
Direct exposure to a COVID-19 case (close contact) means an individual had at least 10 minutes of cumulative contact AND that contact was within 6 feet of the infected person during the period starting 48 hours before symptom onset.
A worker in isolation for 14 days should monitor for symptoms and take temperature twice daily. If symptoms appear, they should inform their healthcare provider and employer.
If symptoms do not appear after 14 days of isolation, the individual may return to work.
Confirmed/presumed positive cases must isolate for a minimum of 7 days after symptom onset or a positive test (whichever is first) AND must be fever and symptom-free for at least 3 days.2 Both criteria must be met in order for the staff member to return to work.
Example1:A staff member tests positive, and is fever free and feeling well on day 4. They should not return to work until day 8. They must isolate for the minimum 7 days AND be fever and symptom-free for 3 days.
Example 2: A staff member tests positive, isolates, but fever and symptoms do not end until day 12 after a positive test. They should not return until day 16. Even though the minimum 7-day isolation requirement was met, the staff member could not return to work until they were fever and symptom-free for 3 days.
An employee whose family/household member is a confirmed or presumed positive case must self-quarantine for a minimum of 14 days AND the household case must be fever and symptom-free for at least 7 days before the employee can come back to work.
Example 1: A household case is feeling well 3 days after symptom onset (or positive test): Employee must remain quarantined and not return to work until day 15.
Example 2: A household case is feeling well 14 days after symptom onset (or positive test): Employee must remain quarantined and not return to work until day 22.
Excerpt from Lake County Health Department Guidance for Non-Clinical Worksites and Employees During COVID-19 Revised April 10, 2020
For more information on COVID-19, visit www.lakecountyil.gov/coronavirus and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus. For further questions, contact Lake County Health Department, (847) 377-8020.