Rockland Reporter

Rockland County issued the following announcement.

New City, NY, - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert announce two new 'Commissioner's Standing Quarantine Orders' (precautionary and mandatory quarantine orders) related to COVID-19 to separate sick people from healthy people and prevent the spread of COVID-19. These orders also inform Healthcare Personnel (HCP) and Essential Personnel (EP) when they may return to work to help prevent staff shortages that would negatively impact the operation of healthcare facilities and essential businesses.

These orders direct persons with either precautionary (proximate contact with infected patient) or mandatory (direct contact with infected patient or person awaiting his/her own COVID-19 test results) quarantine to directly travel to or remain quarantined at his or her residence (or other place as ordered by the Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH)) and explains how long the person, depending on symptoms, must remain quarantined at home. If these legal quarantine orders are not followed, residents may be fined up to $2,000 per day. Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring their child(ren) complies with these quarantine orders or face the same fines.

The directions below and found in the Commissioner's Standing Quarantine Orders are in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).

For Residents:

Any resident of Rockland County who has been advised by RCDOH that he or she is subject to a precautionary or mandatory quarantine must directly travel to or remain quarantined at his or her home (or other place as ordered by the RCDOH), until 14 days after:

direct contact with a person who tested positive COVID-19 (regardless if they are sick or not)

or returned from a country with a CDC-designated Level 3 Travel Health Notice or Level 2 Travel Health Notice. For information on CDC health-related travel notices, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html

The health department is asking for anyone who is or will be affected by these quarantine orders to cooperate with the health department and provide accurate information about their illness, potential exposure sites, and people who may have been exposed. If a person under quarantine has worsening symptoms, they should contact their health care provider and follow their instructions. To view the full precautionary and mandatory quarantine orders, visit: https://bit.ly/2V0HgnY

Knowing when an Healthcare and Essential Personnel has been exposed to, believed to, or confirmed to have COVID-19 is allowed to return to work is very important. See below for guidance for Healthcare and Essential Personnel employees that have been directly exposed to someone with COVID-19, not tested for COVID-19, or have a positive test result and either have symptoms or no symptoms. Symptoms of COVID-19 include a cough, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, loss of appetite, diarrhea, or loss of smell/ taste.

For Healthcare Personnel:

Residents that have been deemed Healthcare Personnel by his or her current employer may return to work if all the following conditions are met:

The employer must verify that temporarily relieving the Healthcare Personnel would result in staff shortages that would adversely impact the operation of the healthcare entity.

They are not showing symptoms of COVID-19.

Healthcare Personnel must self-monitor temperature and symptoms twice a day and undergo temperature monitoring and symptom checks at the beginning of each shift, and at least every 12 hours during a shift.

Healthcare Personnel must wear a facemask while working, until 14 days after the last high-risk exposure.

To the extent possible, Healthcare Personnel working under these conditions should preferentially be assigned to patients at lower risk for severe complications, as opposed to higher-risk patients.

As this outbreak grows, all staff will need to be assigned to treat all patients regardless of the risk level.

Healthcare Personnel must maintain self-quarantine when not at work.

For Essential Personnel:

Residents that have been deemed Essential Personnel by his or her current employer may return to work if all the following conditions are met:

The employer must certify that working from home would not be feasible for job duties.

They are not showing symptoms of COVID-19.

Essential Personnel must quarantine themselves when not at work.

Essential Personnel must undergo temperature monitoring and symptom checks upon arrival to work and at least every 12 hours while at work, and when at home, take temperature and assess for symptoms twice daily.

For job duties require interaction with individuals within 6 feet:

Essential Personnel must wear a well-secured face mask that covers the mouth and nose (personal fit testing is not required) while working for 14 days following the last exposure.

For job duties that allow separation of greater than 6 feet:

Essential Personnel must have environmental controls in place to ensure adequate separation is maintained.

Essential Personnel do not need to wear a facemask.

If any Healthcare Personnel, Essential Personnel, or resident under precautionary or mandatory quarantine develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19, he or she shall immediately stop work and isolate themselves at home in accordance with the Commissioner's Standing Isolation Order. To view the full isolation order visit: https://bit.ly/3aZM3LL.

The resources below can provide additional information for employers, employees, and residents:

For more information and testing questions call the New York State 24-hour hotline at 1-888-364-3065.

For emotional support call the New York State COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline at 1-844-863-9314 from 8 am - 10 pm, 7 days a week or call the Rockland County Department of Mental Health at 845-364-2955, M-F 9 am - 3 pm.

For local information and resources call 2-1-1

Visit the county's COVID-19 page

Follow the county health department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rockhealth or Twitter at www.twitter.com/rockhealth

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Original source can be found here.