At Thursday’s Wabash City Board of Works meeting, an ordinance was approved which will impose penalties on city employees who break COVID-19 quarantines.
Mayor Scott Long said the ordinance would apply to personnel who were currently under a quarantine status.
“I don’t want to do this, but I also don’t want personnel who are under quarantine who are potentially positive,” said Long. “There needs to be some repercussions for employees who don’t take it seriously and stay at their residence, meaning either their home or their outside property area.”
Long said he wanted to “send a message” as a result of recent incidents of such behavior.
“I have had complaints where an employee was supposed to be quarantined where an employee was supposed to be quarantined and they were seen out driving to a public setting,” he said. “I just want to make sure our people understand that quarantine means stay home.”
The measure was approved unanimously by Long and fellow board members Todd Titus and James Reynolds.
Details of the ordinance
According to the ordinance, “there is some concern that employees who are supposed to be quarantining are not working but are going out in the public in contradiction to a quarantine, unnecessarily exposing others to a potential risk of developing COVID-19.”
As a result, for the remainder of the public health emergency any person who is quarantining is not to leave their residence except for the following reasons:
• To avoid an immediate threat of harm as a result of a natural or man-made condition.
• To take themselves or a family member residing with them to a doctor’s office, clinic, hospital or COVID-19 testing site, but only if going directly to or from the doctor’s office, clinic, hospital or COVID-19 testing site.
According to the ordinance, if a person who is quarantining needs “an essential product, service or has some other reason that person believes makes it necessary to leave their residence, that person shall first contact their department head and seek assistance from the department head so that it will be unnecessary for that person to leave their home.”
“Department heads are authorized to assist employees by arranging for or delivering such goods, products and services as are deemed to be essential and the employee shall make some type of arrangement for the payment of the goods, product and services,” stated the ordinance. “The department head is not expected to pay or loan money to accomplish assistance. If the department head determines that the employee has a legitimate and necessary reason to leave the residence, the department head may authorize such but shall inform the employee of any restrictions or conditions upon such approval to ensure other persons are not exposed to the virus.”
According to the ordinance, an employee who violates this policy shall be subject to discipline as follows:
First offense: The employee will lose a sick day if the employee has any sick days remaining, a vacation day or personal time off if the employee has no sick days remaining or a day’s pay if the employee has no sick time, personal time or vacation time remaining.
Second offense: The employee will lose two sick days if the employee has any sick days remaining, two vacation days or personal time off days if the employee has no sick days remaining or two day’s pay if the employee has no sick time, personal time or vacation time remaining.
Third offense: Suspension without pay for five working days.
Fourth offense: Termination.
“I don’t think we’re going to have any issue,” said Long.
Long said he was even willing to transport items to those in quarantine if needed.
“We don’t want to lose employees, but after the first or second offense, I don’t expect them to go any farther. Until you get into their paid time off or into their pocket, that’s when it hits them,” said Long.
City attorney Douglas C. Lehman said this was a “difficult situation for everybody.
“We’re all struggling with how it’s interfering with our lives and how we’re used to doing things. You want to get their attention, but at the same time, you don’t want it to be the reason why you get rid of an employee,” said Lehman.
Quarantine guidance changes
Long said the ordinance had to be amended because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recently changed the quarantine times under certain circumstances.
“This thing changes frequently and it’s a lot to in my mind digest because they keep changing the rules in the middle of the game,” said Long.
Earlier on Thursday, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) stated the CDC’s new guidance provided two options for shortening the standard 14-day quarantine period.
A person who has been exposed to and is identified as a close contact of an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to quarantine, which involves staying home and away from other people, for a designated period to prevent further spread of disease. The CDC guidance retains the option of a 14-day quarantine but allows people who do not have symptoms to reduce their quarantine to seven or 10 days, depending on whether they get tested.
Under the revised guidance:
• The quarantine can end after 10 days if the person has not developed any symptoms. A test is not required.
• The quarantine can end after seven days if the person tests negative for COVID-19 on day five, six or seven of the quarantine and has not developed any symptoms.
Both alternatives require that the person adheres to strict practices of masking, social distancing, handwashing and watching for any symptoms through day 14. They also require daily monitoring for symptoms.