17 Apr Public Health Working with County Businesses for Safe Operating Practices
Frequently Asked Questions about the local response to coronavirus.
If you still have questions or need assistance, visit the County’s COVID-19 Response site or call their hotline for non-medical questions: 970-728-3844.
If you have a medical question, or need non-urgent health care, call the medical center: 970.728.3848.
If you have a question Sharon Grundy has not answered, send your question here, and she will do her best to answer and add that response to this post on tellmed.org/coronavirus.
San Miguel County Department of Public Health and Environment is working with county essential businesses to help emphasize safe work practices with goals to eventually and strategically allow more business operations to resume when it is safe to do so.
“We know our public health orders are working to slow the rate of disease in our community. We also recognize the enormous financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Grace Franklin, Public Health Director said.
County officials are in regular communication with representatives from construction, retail, real estate, restaurant, and other businesses in the county to hear their concerns and suggestions.
“It is our responsibility to take a measured, thoughtful, and most importantly safe approach that balances economic and public health considerations,” Franklin said.
“I am acutely aware of the public health threat of this pandemic and while that is my primary focus, I am very sympathetic to the continuing financial stress this is putting on our community,” Dr. Sharon Grundy, County Medical Officer said.
Public health officials are also working with county businesses to help recommend best practices.
Safe work practices for essential businesses include:
Business owners mandate employees stay home if sick.
Supervisors check that employees or their household are not sick prior to coming to work and send employees home if they start experiencing symptoms such as cough or fever.
Recommended use of face masks for all employees, but especially those who have any contact with the public or regular contact with others in the workplace.
Regular disinfecting of common surfaces throughout the work day.
Regular and thorough hand-washing with soap and water.
No carpooling for persons who do not share a household.
Managers implement strategic shift schedules to minimize the number of contacts and keep daily staffing logs.
Also this week, a 44 year-old local man became the 13th person in San Miguel County to test positive for COVID-19. Public health officials are working with the local business where the man works to identify others with whom he may have had close contact.
Close contact is considered contact with someone within 6 feet for a prolonged period of time.
Public health will contact anyone who is considered at risk of exposure for appropriate guidance.
The business owner is fully cooperating with public health officials, has communicated with its staff, and is immediately implementing all recommendations.
County officials say there was and is no threat to public health or safety.
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