Is COVID-19 Surveillance Testing of workers the new norm after holiday gatherings?
The CDC released data reporting over one million positive tests last week as the pandemic rages on. With recommendations from just about every medical expert out there, we should all be staying home for the holidays. Americans aren’t big on rule following, especially when it comes to our time-honored holiday traditions. The airline industry just had the single busiest day since the pandemic began in March with over 3 million folks hopping a ride. With families gathering to break bread, employers are rightfully concerned about the condition of their workforce after the hunting and gathering is over.
According to Dr. Steven Schnur, an internal medicine physician practicing in Miami, Florida, and owner of Imhealthtoday.com, an integrated physician run system to monitor and protect employees, “New and existing clients are contacting us to establish both one-off and ongoing surveillance testing programs to try to deal with the reality that employees and students are going to travel and get together with their family and friends over the holidays.” Dr. Schnur’s observations are consistent with the reality of the clogged highways and record airline travel we are seeing during this holiday season.
“Surveillance testing can be part of the compromise to reduce workforce outbreaks during a time of higher risk such as widespread holiday gatherings,” according to Dr. Schnur.
Employers are in the cross hairs of this pandemic. Not only do they have to worry about the health of their business but also the daily health of their employees on a real time basis. This isn’t the good old days of wellness programs and work walk-a-thons. In order to keep their workforce on the job, employers are currently required to have a triage plan to deal with individual employee daily health screening, personal protective equipment, outbreak prevention and management, often on a beer budget.
One-off targeted surveillance testing after high-risk exposure times like holidays, events and company gatherings can help create a balance between weekly surveillance and just-in-time surveillance. The key is to have some kind of plan to manage the higher level of risk that is clear and evident given this upcoming holiday season. You don’t want this virus to be the gift that keeps on giving to your other employees for the holidays.