BREAKING: CDC issues new guidance saying essential workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 can RETURN to work if showing no symptoms in first step towards reopening the U.S.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines Wednesday night for essential workers who are exposed to COVID-19
- Exposed critical workers can go back to work if they're asymptomatic
- Previously all exposed workers were told to isolate for 14 days
- They have to follow new guidelines including taking their temperature before work, wearing a face mask at all times, and practicing social distancing
- Employers in essential industries are also being told to send sick workers home, take temperatures of employees and increase air exchange in buildings
- Senate Democrats are now rallying behind these critical employees by calling for a 'Heroes Fund' to increase their pay by up to $25,000
CDC issues new guidance rules for essential workers exposed to coronavirus | Daily Mail Online
Won't this spread the virus faster among the essential workers? If people are contagious before symptoms show then sending employees home only after they get a temperature is too late. So much for flattening the curve...
MOO.
Hmmm.
Here is the full guidance from CDC:
“To ensure continuity of operations of essential functions, CDC advises that critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure to COVID-19, provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community.
A potential exposure means being a household contact or having close contact within 6 feet of an individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The timeframe for having contact with an individual includes the period of time of 48 hours before the individual became symptomatic.
Critical Infrastructure workers who have had an exposure but remain asymptomatic should adhere to the following practices prior to and during their work shift:
-more at link
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
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My first thought is I’m recalling what Dr. Maria said a couple times about being clear about “asymptomatic” vs. “pre-symptomatic”. She discussed the percentage of those who do go on to experience symptoms. I have the numbers she mentioned in my mind but don’t want to quote as moo without full reference in context and link & quote.
So, I’m confused. 48 hours from time of exposure, not 14 days? Am I understanding this correctly?
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CDC issues new guidance to make it easier for essential workers exposed to coronavirus to return to work
“In a first, small step toward reopening the country, the Trump administration issued new guidelines Wednesday to make it easier for essential workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to get back to work if they do not have symptoms of the coronavirus.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced at the White House 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.”
[...]
“Under the new guidelines for essential workers, the CDC recommends that exposed employees take their temperatures before their shifts, wear face masks and practice social distancing at work. They also are advised to stay home if they are ill, not share headsets or other objects used near the face and refrain from congregating in crowded break rooms.
Employers are asked to take exposed workers’ temperatures and assess symptoms before allowing them to return to work, aggressively clean work surfaces, send workers home if they get sick and increase air exchange in workplaces.”
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Yale Professor: Changes to CDC Guidelines for Workers Should Wait
“”For the most part, if you’ve had the virus you’re not getting it again. So, someone who’s been infected is one of your safest employees,” said Dr. Howard Forman, director of the Healthcare Management program at Yale University.
But for those employees who were exposed but have no symptoms, Forman says there needs to be a number of systems in place before those guideline changes. He says there should be plans to prevent the possible spread or on-site sickness by an asymptomatic employee.”
[...]
He says without access to rapid tests, it could be dangerous to the progress we’re making under current CDC guidance.
“Right now the most important thing is to see capacity in our hospitals go all the way back down to normal before we do relaxing of social distancing measures at all.””
[...]
“It is so important to get our economy back going but we do not want to do it at the expense of human lives.”
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I want to make sure I’m totally clear about all this and up to date on the everything before commenting on this.
