To ensure continuity of essential function operations, CDC indicates that critical infrastructure workers may be allowed to continue working in the face of potential exposure to COVID-19, provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are in place to protect and protect them to the community.
Potential exposure means being a household contact or having close contact (up to 6 feet away) with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case. The period to have contact with a person includes a lapse of 48 hours before the onset of symptoms.
Critical infrastructure workers who have been exposed but remain asymptomatic should implement the following before and during work shifts:
- Pre-assessment: Employers should monitor temperature and assess employee symptoms before they begin work. The ideal would be to control the temperature before the person enters the establishment.
- Regular Monitoring: As long as employees do not have a fever or other symptoms, they should monitor themselves under the supervision of the employer’s occupational health program.
- Mask use: The employee should wear a mask at all times in the workplace for 14 days after the last exposure. Employers can provide masks or authorize the use of cloth face covers for employees in the event of a shortage of supplies.
- Social distance: The employee should maintain a distance of 6 feet and implement social distance, as long as the tasks performed in the workplace allow it.
- Cleaning and disinfection of work areas: regularly clean and disinfect all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, and electronic equipment for shared use.
If the employee becomes ill during the day, they should send him home immediately . Surfaces in your work area should be cleaned and disinfected . Information should be collected on people who were in contact with the sick employee during the time he had symptoms and 2 days prior to the onset of symptoms. They should be considered exposed to other persons in the establishment who had close contact up to 6 feet from the employee during that time.
Employers should implement the recommendations in the Interim Guide for Business and Employers on Planning and Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 to help prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Find more information on how to identify critical infrastructure during COVID-19 on the DHS CISA website external site icon or on the CDC Specific Guide page for emergency response personnel.
This interim guide is for critical infrastructure workers, including staff in 16 different job sectors, such as:
- Local, State, and Federal Public Safety
- 911 call center employees
- Fusion Center Employees
- Private sector and government hazardous materials response personnel
- Custodial staff and other custodial staff
- Workers, including contract providers, in the food and agriculture, critical manufacturing, computing, transportation, energy, and government facilities
- Employees should not share headphones or other objects that are close to the mouth or nose.
- Employers should increase the frequency with which commonly touched surfaces are cleaned.
- Employees and employers should consider piloting the use of face masks to ensure that it does not affect assigned tasks.
- Employers should coordinate with facility maintenance personnel to ventilate workplaces more frequently.
- Employees should keep their distance when they take a break all together. It is necessary to take staggered breaks, avoid congregations in the rest area and not