A Message from the San Miguel County Medical Officer
From the San Miguel County Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Grundy:
Based on federal and state COVID-19 (coronavirus) related guidance for all businesses, I am issuing the following recommendations for you and your employees.
Effective immediately and for the next 30 days, we strongly recommend that all large events be canceled (such as concerts, plays, etc.) and that you avoid attending large-gatherings (greater than 75 people), especially if you are over 60 years of age. The Governor’s recommendation was for large groups over 100 people, but due to the confined nature of our towns and the number of visitors from outside areas, we have recommended a smaller number of 75 people max.
Also, everyone should be practicing “social-distancing,” staying at least 6 feet away from other people in social settings.
Due to forecasted coronavirus spread, you should be prepared to be without 20-25% of your staff over the next two months (whether they are sick, isolated, or quarantined).
All employers (large and small) should immediately review and update your emergency response plans and draft one if one does not exist.
Consider initiating these steps (if not already in place) to help preserve health and maintain essential operations: a) strategically stagger shifts of essential personnel minimize unessential contact in the event one member of the team gets sick requiring the others to self-isolate, and b) train duplicate staff and/or teams in the event you lose essential staff (due to illness, self-isolation or quarantine) to continue operations.
Review your policies for EIB and paid time off and understand that your employees may be required by law to be in self-isolation for 14 days if they meet public health criteria.
Be aware of (changing) travel policies that could impact your employees. Employees returning from areas deemed geographically affected and therefore high risk will be subject to 14 days of self-isolation before returning to work. See this CDC link for most up to date info.
NOTE: your local health care providers or health department will NOT be able to test your employees rapidly and clear them to return to work.
Consider alternative work configurations to allow employees to work from home.
Change in-person meetings to teleconferences.
Clean all work surfaces regularly and post signs encouraging your employees to wash their hands.
Strongly encourage and allow your employees to stay home if sick, especially with a fever or cough.
Helpful flyers to post from the CDC English are available here.
For SMC Coronavirus info and updates go to sanmiguelcountyco.gov/coronavirus
To receive County Coronavirus alerts, sign up here.
This is not time to panic, but rather I encourage you to be reasonable, diligent, and prepared.
Thank you in advance for your efforts in this matter.
Dr. Sharon Grundy
Medical Officer, San Miguel County
For information about San Miguel County’s response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), please visit sanmiguelcountyco.gov/coronavirus.
Please also be sure to sign up for the Town of Mountain Village's text messaging system for updates if this situation ramps up significantly moving forward. You may do so through this link.
Posted on 2020-03-12