Temperature checks, questionnaires about Covid-19 symptoms and coronavirus tests for employees — it's all part of a new work normal, and a legal gray area in the reopening.
on what is permissible under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The guidance allowed employers to screen for the infection to help protect their workers, including using temperature screens and tests.Under the new guidelines, legal experts say employers are now allowed to take two actions to protect their workforces: temperature screening and checking for symptoms of the coronavirus. Employers can also exclude workers they suspect have symptoms from the workplace.
For businesses not comfortable with the idea of testing all employees, legal experts suggest transparency. Communicate what the thresholds are on temperature and on symptoms, and lay out for employees when they might be sent home. "The best idea is to have a consistent process that applies to everyone," says John Merrell, a partner with the law firm Ogletree Deakins.
Some employers are embracing this new paradigm of testing workforces for coronavirus. Stanford Health Care, a major San Francisco Bay Area hospital, re-opened for almost all procedures — but as part of that re-opening, is testing all of its 14,000 patient-facing employees for the coronavirus using a test the hospital developed in-house. David Entwistle, President and CEO of Stanford Health Care, said the testing was necessary to reassure patients the hospital was safe to visit.
The hospital says it's also taking other precautions: nurses and clinicians are stationed at each entrance to scan for temperatures. Scannable QR codes lead to a web app that collects and reports on symptoms through a questionnaire.Stanford Health Care is not alone. Businesses and organizations are widely predicted to use technology to help fight the spread of coronavirus. Contactless thermometers are increasingly common, from handheld units toalong with answering a health questionnaire.
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