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COVID-19 Human Resources Information

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act 
The Department of Labor (DOL) has promulgated temporary regulations to implement provisions of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Public Law 116-127 (FFCRA), which was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rule became effective on April 1, 2020, and sunsets on December 31, 2020. This update analyzes the Rule’s key provisions. Click here to view FAQ's provided by Jackson Lewis. Click here to read the Department of Labor's regulations for COVID-19.
Required FFCRA Signage
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires most employers to post a notice for their employees regarding FFCRA requirements. The notice must be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises. An employer may satisfy this requirement by emailing or direct mailing the notice to employees, or posting the notice on an employee information internal or external website. If you hire a job applicant, you must convey this notice to them. 

OSHA Informational Newsletters
View the newsletters below for general OSHA information, including compliance, regulations, policies, and more.

Keeping your Business Safe
Updated cleaning guidance from CDC: Cleaning and Disinfection After Persons Suspected/Confirmed to Have COVID-19 Have Been in the Facility.
  • Timing and location of cleaning and disinfection of surfaces at a school, daycare center, office, or other facility that does not house people overnight:
    •  Close off areas visited by the ill persons. Open outside doors and windows and use ventilating fans to increase air circulation in the area. Wait 24 hours or as long as practical before beginning cleaning and disinfection.
    • Cleaning staff should clean and disinfect all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines used by the ill persons, focusing especially on frequently touched surfaces.

Keeping Your Employees Safe: How to protect your staff and business 
  • Wash hands for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60- 95% alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 
  • Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that have been touched (counters, doorknobs, toilets, phones, menus, etc.).​
  • The CDC does not recommend the routine use of respirators (facemasks).

Keeping Your Customers Safe: What to do if a customer shows flu-like symptoms in your business
  • Provide the customer with additional napkins or tissues to use when they cough or sneeze. 
  • Make sure alcohol-based hand sanitizer is available for customers to use.
  • Clean and sanitize any objects or surfaces that may have been touched.​

Follow Guidelines
Guidance as of 3/15/2020 from the Center of Disease Control Center: CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States. Read full recommendation.

The White House has also issued guidelines for Americans during the response to COVID-19. Many of these are in place for states that have seen community spread. At this time, South Dakota has very little community spread and the guidelines below are recommendations, not mandates.
  • People should avoid gathering in groups of more than 10.
  • People should stay away from bars, restaurants and food courts, and to not travel if possible. 

To learn more visit the state's official website: covid.sd.gov
Small Business Administration - Disaster Loan Program
South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development COVID-19 Resources
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
South Dakota Department of Labor COVID-19 

National Restaurant Association Resources and Other Signage
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) Executive Summary for Restaurants
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Launches Restaurant Employee Relief Fund
 
Click to Download Handouts
Coronavirus: What You Can Do Fact Sheet (English & Spanish)
Handwashing 101 Poster (English & Spanish) 
Before You Come To Work Poster
Cleaning vs. Sanitizing Poster (English & Spanish)
Food Safety Focus Blog
What Experts are Saying

Grocery Store Pricing Notice

Workplace and Employer Resources & Recommendations
From the South Dakota Department of Health
​Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)  |  March 10, 2020
NOTE: This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. Information in this document is current as of March 10, 2020. Please check the South Dakota Department of Health (DOH) website at covid.sd.gov for the most current information and guidance.

What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that usually cause mild respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. Some coronaviruses have caused more severe illness, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus (responsible for COVID-19) that was not identified in humans before December 2019.

What are common symptoms of COVID-19 illness?
Patients with COVID-19 have had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. It takes 2 to 14 days after a person gets the virus in their body to become ill. Novel coronavirus is new, and we are learning more each day about symptoms it causes and how long it takes for people to become sick.

How does the virus spread?
Most often, it is spread from person-to-person via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how flu and other respiratory pathogens spread. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

It’s currently unclear if a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. Often, with most respiratory viruses, people are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest) but there is some indication of spread by individuals who are not exhibiting typical symptoms.

Who should seek medical evaluation for COVID-19?
Staff and subcontracted individuals who are:
  • Ill with a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing AND have traveled from an affected area in the last 14 days
  • Ill with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing AND have been identified by the South Dakota Department of Health as a recent close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case or had recent close contact with someone who is being evaluated for COVID-19 infection.

What should I do if I suspect a staff member is at risk for COVID-19?
If a staff member or subcontracted individual meets the above criteria, it is important to place them in a private room away
from others and ask them to wear a face mask. Immediately notify the South Dakota Department of Health at 1-800-592-1861
to receive guidance.

Should staff delay or suspend travel to affected areas?
  • Check the CDC’s Traveler’s Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for each country to which employees may travel. This can be found on the CDC website.
  • Advise employees to check themselves for symptoms of acute respiratory illness before starting travel and notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
  • Ensure employees who become sick while traveling or on temporary assignment understand that they should notify their supervisor and should promptly call a healthcare provider for advice if needed.
  • If outside the United States, sick employees should follow your company’s policy for obtaining medical care or contact a healthcare provider or overseas medical assistance company to assist them with finding an appropriate healthcare provider in that country. A U.S. consular officer can help locate healthcare services. However, U.S. embassies, consulates, and military facilities do not have the legal authority, capability, and resources to evacuate or give medicines, vaccines, or medical care to private U.S. citizens overseas.
  • Encourage employees who travel to receive all recommended vaccinations, including influenza. It’s not too late to vaccinate.

What can I do to prepare for COVID-19 impacts to my workplace? Plan Now!
All employers need to consider how best to decrease the spread of acute respiratory illness and lower the impact of COVID-19 in their workplace. Identify and communicate objectives, including one or more of the following: (a) reducing transmission among staff, (b) protecting people who are at higher risk for adverse health complications, (c) maintaining business operations, and (d) minimizing effects on other entities in the supply chains. Some of the key considerations when making decisions on appropriate responses are:
  • Disease severity (i.e., number of people who are sick, hospitalization and death rates) in the community where the business is located. Since the intensity of an outbreak may differ according to geographic location, local health officials may be issuing guidance specific to their communities
  • Impact of disease on employees that are vulnerable and may be at higher risk for adverse health complications.
  • Inform employees that some people may be at higher risk for severe illness, such as older adults and those with chronic medical conditions.
  • Prepare for possible increased numbers of absences due to illness in employees and their family members:
    • Employers should plan to monitor and respond to absenteeism at the workplace. Implement plans to continue your essential business functions in case you experience higher than usual absenteeism.
    • Cross-train personnel to perform essential functions so that the workplace is able to operate even if key staff members are absent.
    • Assess your essential functions and the reliance that others and the community have on your services or products. Be prepared to change your business practices if needed to maintain critical operations (e.g., identify alternative suppliers, prioritize customers, or temporarily suspend some of your operations if needed).
  • Employers with more than one business location are encouraged to provide local managers with the authority to take appropriate actions outlined in their business infectious disease outbreak response plan based on the condition in each locality.

What can I do to prevent COVID-19 illnesses my workplace? Implement the following strategies now!
  • Actively encourage sick employees to stay home:
    • Employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work for 72 hours after fever is gone and symptoms get better, whichever is longer. Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
    • Ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies.
    • Talk with companies that provide your business with contract or temporary employees about the importance of sick employees staying home and encourage them to develop non-punitive leave policies.
    • Do not require a healthcare provider’s note for employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness to validate their illness or to return to work, as healthcare providers may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.
    • Maintain flexible policies that permit employees to stay home to care for a sick family member. Employers should be aware that more employees may need to stay at home to care for sick children or other sick family members than is usual.
  • Separate employees who become ill at work:
    • CDC recommends that employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day should be separated from other employees and be sent home immediately. Sick employees should cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available).
  • Emphasize respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene by all employees:
    • Place posters that encourage staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, and hand hygiene at the entrance to your workplace and in other workplace areas where they are likely to be seen.
    • Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.
    • Instruct employees to clean their hands often with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60- 95% alcohol, or wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
    • Advise employees to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
    • Provide soap and water and alcohol-based hand rubs in the workplace. Ensure that adequate supplies are maintained. 
    • Visit the coughing and sneezing etiquette and clean hands webpage for more information.
  • Perform routine environmental cleaning: (for more information, refer to the CDC website for businesses)
    • Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, 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 (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks) can be wiped down by employees before each use.

Involve your Human Resources department or Employee Health for further guidance or under the following circumstances:
  • Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure. Family medical leave or other legal contracts may apply.
  • If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19 infection, employers should inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.

Where can I turn for more information?