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New CDC recommendations to help essential workers from COVID-19 exposure

By Eileen M. Samitz

In case others may not have heard this, CDC just announced Wednesday new recommendations to help protect essential workers. This has been so needed and likely helped Nugget to take action to provide face masks/ coverings for their employees.

Bravo to Nugget Market for recently implementing these CDC recommendations and I hope that the City and County circulate these new recommendations to have the employers provide these face masks/covering for their employees. Sadly, there have been some reports of essential workers elsewhere in the county succumbing from COVID-19 due to exposure to the public doing their jobs to serve us, without any type of facial mask or covering. So, this likely motivated CDC to finally come out with these needed recommendations. Even cloth facial coverings (since masks are better but the health care workers need them) are better than no facial covering to help deter exposure to the coronavirus.

Likewise, we as a community need to help by doing our part to wear a facial mask/covering to help prevent picking up or passing along the COVID-19 virus, since it is now known that many people can be carrying it, yet have not have symptoms.

Once again, thank you Nugget Market for taking action and setting the example of what our other local essential stores need to be doing for their employees.

Here is the AP article weblink with the CDC recommendations:

https://apnews.com/f2f80ae7f69376c21df6c8dc4cfb585b

New CDC guidance for essential workers during coronavirus outbreak

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidelines for essential workers, such as those in the health care and food supply industries. The guidance is focused on when those workers can return to work after having been exposed to the new coronavirus.

— Do take your temperature before work.

— Do wear a face mask at all times.

— Do practice social distancing as work duties permit.

— Don't stay at work if you become sick

— Don't share headsets or objects used near face.

— Don't congregate in the break room or other crowded places.

The CDC also issued guidance for employers in essential industries.

— Do take employees' temperature and assess for symptoms prior to their starting work.

— Do increase the frequency of cleaning commonly touched surfaces.

— Do increase air exchange in the building.

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Comments

2 responses to “New CDC recommendations to help essential workers from COVID-19 exposure”

  1. Todd Edelman

    “Guidance” is not a legal Order. For this reason Yolo County’s Dr. Ron Chapman has not implemented things like face-covering mandates, something that’s been done in e.g. Lake County. He also argues that it would be difficult to enforce. There’s no reason for to wear a face covering if one is by themselves outside and maintaining SD, but there’s every reason to require it inside any semi-public facility such as a store: No shoes, no shirt, no mask… no service.
    So this means that all stores don’t have to comply. Most will sure, and credit to those that have.
    I asked the County and City about air circulation (and really, exhaust) and am happy that now there’s at least guidance about it. But it’s logical – i.e. because of asymptomatic transmission – that it should also cover residential situations.
    I recently discussed this general issue with a union representative of supermarket workers and was told that most of this is already being pushed for from the bottom up. One thing that’s missing in the new guidelines is one-way aisles (where design does not allow SD) and he also said that the biggest concern was simply keeping numbers down. I proposed a solution for the latter to the County at least two weeks ago (assigning shopping hours based on last name…). If stores find it necessary to have lines outside it may be uncomfortable for some on the increasingly hot days.
    So it will be interested what Yolo County actually adds to their Order. They have cover if there are no higher-level orders. They don’t need to mention anything if there is only guidance – if they do it’s generally only in response to a question. That said, I am mostly very impressed with the County actions in terms of communication, priority and frequency of Board meetings, super serious things like renting motels rooms for homeless people and testing – the last in very challenging conditions out of their control.
    Finally, a breakroom that few go into is not “crowded” 😉

    Reply
  2. Eileen Samitz

    Todd,
    While I agree that this cannot necessarily mandated right now, there is no reason why these guideline should not be widely circulated by the County Public Health Officer. Many business owners are likely not aware of it and therefore would be less included to offer masks or face coverings to their employees.
    That said, the County Public Health Officer may change his mind and decide to mandate this to businesses if we wind up with a large surge of residents very sick with COVID-19. Now is the time to act, not after a surge begins. That means starting with circulating these new CDC recommendations countywide to businesses and in the media for the businesses and all of the public to know about it. It would not be easy to enforce, but it would make it easier for businesses to decline customers trying to enter their stores without a mask or face covering.
    Further, UCD can step up and offer to use their own campus police to help supplement the local police in addressing complaints of resident calling in large gathering and other situations where social distancing is clearly not being observed. It can start with a warning and follow up with fines which is what NYC is doing to help enforce social distancing. Lives are at stake if we don’t start doing more to get social distancing implemented now.

    Reply

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