First Scenario: High Temp During Daily Temperature Readings
The first COVID-19 testing scenario should occur immediately after employees are found to have high temperatures during a round of daily temperature checks. The employee with a high temperature or who is showing any other signs of infection should be sent home to self-isolate while test results are pending.
If an employee has been around somebody who has tested positive for COVID-19, or has other close contacts, this is another scenario in which somebody would need to be tested immediately and sent home while the results of the test are pending.
Second Scenario: Testing Positive for COVID
In professions where workers are working closely together, such as in fast food or warehouse jobs, mass testing may be appropriate when one person tests positive.
Third Scenario: Operation Shift for COVID
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that employers consider how they plan to change their operations in the event of mass exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Anyone with positive testing results should be sent home to quarantine immediately.
Fourth and Fifth Scenarios for Quarantine
The CDC states that an employee who has previously tested positive for COVID-19 and is considered to be a confirmed COVID-19 case may still test positive if he or she is tested again afterwards with antibody tests and viral tests. Because most people experience mild symptoms of illness, after roughly 14 days, formerly positive cases should be able to discontinue self-quarantine and come back to work. When a person tests positive at work, sometimes others in the company are also tested to evaluate the transmission and the possibility of an outbreak.
Several state and local health care systems offer immediate testing for COVID-19, and this applies to all kinds of work spaces, both small and large. The best approach to public health includes COVID-19 testing with a commitment from employers to ensure the confidentiality of medical testing for their employees and employee health and wellness programs. Workplaces should continue to offer these five testing scenarios until case numbers drop substantially.
Just because COVID-19 testing is crucial for a healthy workforce, though, doesn’t always mean that it is convenient for employees. That’s why Archer Health offers onsite COVID-19 testing that makes it easy to take proactive measures to protect your employees’ and customers’ health. We use FDA approved instruments for the testing, and we offer rapid results -- within just 15 minutes.
Contact us today to learn more about our onsite testing and other onsite health services!
