Recommendations for Industry

Should Contacts of Contacts Stay Home?

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Q. The child of one of my employees was sent home to quarantine this week because another child in their class tested positive for COVID-19. As a secondary contact, should my employee stay home as well?

A. With schools back in session around the nation, this has become a common question. Most schools are taking significant precautions to keep students safe, but back-to-school is the latest societal shift that is having an impact and raising questions.

TAG’s primary recommendation is that decisions should be made on a case-by-case bases as to whether employees who are contacts of contacts (whether from a child’s or other relative’s or friend’s close contact) should stay out. In general, we have not recommended that contacts of contacts need to quarantine, but we do recommend:

• Try to learn more about the situation and relationship of the child with the COVID-positive person. Is it a best friend with whom they’ve spent a lot of time? A person in another grade and class with whom no real contact has been made but the school has been closed?

• The employee should closely monitor their symptoms and those of the primary contact (especially if the employee has ongoing close contact with that individual). If any symptoms appear, they should then quarantine and contact their health care provider as soon as possible.

Regardless of the situation, all businesses should continue to stay the course. Maintain your wellness checks, social distancing, mask, and increased hygiene requirements, etc. Continue to do what you’ve been doing to keep your workers safe; eventually (but unfortunately, not likely to be soon) we will whip this thing!

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