COVID-19 Employment Resources
Employee Health and Safety
Community Resources
What happens if my employee or patron tests positive for COVID-19?
According to Orange County Health Department:
- Businesses are guided to have people who may have been in contact with a patron who was diagnosed with COVID-19 to be quarantined and inform local public health officials. Other than this, businesses should consider informing the public when a person with COVID-19 may have been in their facility.
- Businesses may make an announcement regarding COVID-19 confirmed cases in their facility. In coordination with their local health department, they can publish their cleaning and disinfecting efforts and many have already done this across the state.
- Additional resources: Guidance for environmental cleaning for non-healthcare settings and Guidance for any employees who are sick
Furloughs, Layoffs, & Terminations
In talks with an NC Works executive, we confirmed that if you need to lay off staff, the best terminology for the letter to your employee is “temporary layoff due to the COVID-19 virus.” Doing this should help expedite your employee’s access to unemployment benefits. (Note: employees who have been laid off for COVID-related reasons are able to answer “yes” to the question “Did you look for work?”) Learn more and apply here.
The following are excellent resources re: unemployment from the NC Department of Commerce: Q&A for Employers and Q&A for Individuals.
If your employee will lose their health coverage as a result of layoffs, they may qualify for a special enrollment period for marketplace healthcare provided by the Affordable Care Act. Direct them to NCNavigator.net for assistance.