Businesses/Employers

Covid-19 checklist for businesses and employers

This information was released by the Ohio Department of Health on July 21, 2020.  For additional information, please visit the State of Ohio’s COVID-19 Portal.

Ohio agencies and officials have implemented several policies to help businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic. An extensive list of assistance options, guidance on reopening, and new requirements can be found here. 

The Ohio Department of Health has lifted many of the mandatory business requirements put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are several newly established workplace requirements. General guidance is found below. Specific guidance for certain sectors is available here.

Employers have been ordered to:

1. Comply with state regulations on facial coverings.

2. Allow customers, visitors, vendors, and other visitors to wear face coverings except for certain documented legal, life, health, safety, or security considerations.

3. Require all employees to wear face coverings unless they are prohibited by law or regulation; in violation of documented industry standards; not advisable for health reasons; in violation of the business’s documented safety policies; or there is a functional/practical reason not to wear one. Face coverings are not required for employees who work alone in an assigned work area.

4. Comply with social distancing requirements of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ohio Department of Health, including, where possible:

  • a. Designating 6-foot distances with signage, tape, or other means to allow for adequate social distancing between employees. This also applies to customers in lines.

  • b. Having hand sanitizer and sanitizing products readily available for employees and any customers.

  • c. Establishing separate operating hours for elderly and other vulnerable populations.

  • d. Posting online whether a facility is open and how best to reach the facility and continue services by phone or in another remote manner.

     

5. Allow as many employees as possible to work from home by implementing policies in areas such as teleworking and video conferencing.

If employees do report to the workplaces:

1. Actively encourage sick employees to stay home until they have recovered.

2. As of July 17, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are as follows: 
 

  • a. Employees with symptoms who have not been tested (or are waiting for test results) should stay home until at least 24 hours has passed since there has been no fever without use of fever-reducing medications AND other symptoms have improved AND at least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms. (People who are severely immunocompromised should consult with a healthcare provider to determine if a longer timeframe may be recommended.)
  • b. Employees with symptoms who have lab-confirmed COVID-19 should stay home until:
    • i. At least 24 hours has passed since there has been no fever without use of fever-reducing medications AND other symptoms have improved AND at least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms. (People who are severely immunocompromised should consult with a healthcare provider to determine if a longer timeframe may be recommended.) Note: for persons with symptoms, this symptom-based strategy is preferred.
      OR
    • ii. There is no fever without use of fever-reducing medications AND improvement in symptoms AND there are negative results (showing no COVID-19) on at least two consecutive lab tests of respiratory specimens collected at least 24 hours apart. Note: this strategy is not preferred.
  • c. Employees without symptoms who have lab-confirmed COVID-19 should stay home until:
    • i. At least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive test. (People who are severely immunocompromised should consult with a healthcare provider to determine if a longer timeframe may be recommended.) Note: for persons without symptoms, this time-based strategy is preferred. However, if they develop symptoms in that time period, they should revert to the criteria for employees with symptoms (above).
    • OR ii. There are negative results (showing no COVID-19) on at least two consecutive lab tests of respiratory specimens collected at least 24 hours apart. Note: this strategy is not preferred.

3. Ensure that your sick leave policies are up to date, flexible, and non-punitive to allow sick employees to stay home to care for themselves, children, or other family members. Consider encouraging employees to do a self-assessment each day to check if they have any COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, or shortness of breath).

4. Separate employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms from other employees and send them home immediately. Restrict their access to the business until they have recovered.

5. Reinforce key messages — stay home when sick, use cough and sneeze etiquette, and practice hand hygiene — to all employees, and place posters in areas where they are most likely to be seen. Provide protection supplies such as soap and water, hand sanitizer, tissues, and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.

6. Frequently perform enhanced environmental cleaning of commonly touched surfaces, such as workstations, countertops, railings, door handles, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces can be wiped down by employees before each use.

7. Be prepared to change business practices if needed to maintain critical operations (e.g., identify alternative suppliers, prioritize customers, or temporarily suspend some of your operations).

For answers to your COVID-19 questions, call 1-833-4ASKODH (1-833-427-5634)


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