Effective April 1, 2021, all public employers (including counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and public authorities) must have a detailed operations plan to ensure continuation of operations amidst a public health emergency that results from the spread of a communicable disease. Here’s what you need to know to be in compliance with The Pandemic Operations Law (Chapter 168, Laws of 2020).
The plan must include a listing of job titles and descriptions for those positions meeting the definition of essential employees who will continue to report in-person during a period of emergency. There must be a method for tracking hours worked and at what location(s), and a method for staggering shifts and/or modifying workspaces to avoid overcrowding. Employers will also be responsible for obtaining, storing, and providing ample personal protective equipment to those essential employees. Those employees who are deemed non-essential and will work remotely must be clearly identified in conjunction with plans for obtaining and distributing appropriate resources, including but not limited to, telephone access, laptop computers, scanners and printers.
The employer must adopt policies on how to respond when an employee has been exposed to the communicable disease, and what will be required of employees as it relates to quarantining, testing and treatment plan needs, and leave of absences.
Lastly, representatives or members from the employer’s COVID-19 task force should be provided an opportunity to comment or make recommendations to the draft policy. Once a final version has been published, the policy should be made readily available to all employees.
As laws continue to expand and evolve, remaining compliant is of the utmost importance. Reach out to our experts at Bonadio today to learn more and discuss your specific situation.
The information and advice we are providing for this matter relates to COVID-19 legislative relief measures. Because legislative efforts are still ongoing, we expect that there may be additional guidance and clarification from regulators that could modify some of the advice and information provided to you, after the conclusion of our engagement. We, therefore, make no warranties, expressed or implied, on the services provided hereunder.