Oakland County Businesses Remaining Open Under Executive Order 2020-21 Must Conduct Employee Screenings in Addition to Social Distancing Practices

On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter announced that businesses and operations remaining open under EO 2020-21 must take additional precautions to protect employees, effective Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at 12:00pm. 

Specifically, in addition to the social distancing practices already required under EO 2020-21, Oakland County Emergency Order 2020-5 mandates that open Oakland County businesses develop and implement a daily screening program for all staff, which must include the following questions:

1. Symptom check (fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, or diarrhea). When a touchless thermometer is available, a temperature check is strongly recommended in lieu of verbal confirmation;
2. Any close contact in the last 14 days with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19; and
3. Travel internationally or domestically, within the last 14 days.

Employees who respond positively to any of the above inquiries must be excluded from the business, as follows:

• If the employee has any COVID-19 symptoms, they must be excluded from work for 3 days with no fever and 7 days since first symptom.
• If the employee has had contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the employee must be excluded from work for 14 days.
• If the employee has traveled, the employee must be excluded from work for 14 days.

Consistent with EO 2020-21, businesses must limit capacity inside facilities and manage and control social/physical distancing (at least 6 feet of spacing) for employees working alongside one another and customers waiting in lines within or outside the business. Recommendations for doing so include visual markings and signage, entrance limits, and specialized hours. 

Business are also required to post a copy of Emergency Order 2020-5, found here, at the entrance of the facility and to members of the public at large by all reasonable means available.

The Order shall become effective on March 25, 2020 at Noon and shall be effective until April 13, 2020.

For assistance in properly following these designation procedures, contact Butzel Long.  We are here to assist you.

Cindy Haffey
313.983.7434
haffey@butzel.com

Hannah Treppa
313.983.6966
treppa@butzel.com