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I Am a Business and Have a Positive Employee- What Should I Do Now?

I am a retail store, restaurant, or business, and I have an employee who tested positive for COVID-19, what do I do now?

  • Make sure the employee is isolating at home. Do not let them back to work until they have been cleared from isolation.
  • Email the Health Department at Health@town.harwich.ma.us to officially alert us. Please include the employee’s name, date they tested positive, town of residence, and last day they were at work.
  • Work with Contact Tracers to identify any potential close contacts. If anyone is considered a close contact they should begin quarantining at home. Quarantining options can be found at https://www.mass.gov/doc/return-to-work-guidance/download. A close contact is defined as having 15 cumulative minutes of being within 6’ of the positive individual over a 24 hour period.
  • Clean and disinfect before you re-open. The state no longer requires that you close for a set amount of time, but you will need to conduct a deep cleaning and disinfection before the public is allowed access. Cleaning and disinfecting protocols can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html. You are not required by the state to post a public statement.
  • Employee can return to work once they have been cleared from isolation, which is typically 10 days. They do NOT need to have a negative COVID-19 test before returning to work. Most individuals who have had COVID-19 will still test positive up to 90 days after recovering. This does not mean that they are still infectious.
  • If you have any other questions or concerns please contact the Department of Public Health Epidemiology line at (617) 983-6800.

Isolation:

If you are sick or test positive for COVID-19, you must remain in isolation until a public health authority (the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, your local Board of Health, or the Community Tracing Collaborative) says that you can leave your home.

A public health authority will be in contact with you to discuss your isolation period and any questions you may have and will conduct another assessment about 10 days after the date your infection is confirmed. A public health authority will confirm that you may leave your home once the risk of infecting others is determined to be low.

Take these steps when self-isolating:

  • Stay at home and use a separate bedroom and bathroom if possible.
  • Stay at least 6 feet away from other people in the house.
  • Do not leave your house to go to school, work or run errands.
  • Do not have any visitors to your house during this time.
  • Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Do not share eating or drinking utensils with anybody.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
  • Clean surfaces that you touch every day with a household disinfectant.
  • Make a list of everyone you have been close to (within 6 feet of for at least 15 minutes), since you first got sick. Those people have been exposed to COVID-19 and should be asked to self-quarantine. 
  • Monitor your health closely while you isolate at home. If your symptoms worsen (such as shortness of breath or respiratory distress), contact your medical provider immediately.
  • If you need to see your healthcare provider, do not take public transportation, taxis, or ride-shares to get to your appointment.

Quarantine:

You must quarantine if you are not sick but are a close contact to someone diagnosed with COVID-19. You may be contacted by a local health official or the Commonwealth's Community Tracing Collaborative regarding any contact with those who have COVID-19.

Please take these steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19 while you quarantine:

  • Stay at home and use a separate bedroom and bathroom if possible.
  • Do your best to stay at least 6 feet away from other people in the house.
  • Do not leave your house to go to school, work or run errands.
  • Do not have any visitors to your house during this time.
  • Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Do not share eating or drinking utensils with anybody.
  • Monitor your health every day.
  • If you get sick with fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other signs of respiratory illness, call your healthcare provider and schedule a COVID-19 test. Be sure to tell them you have been exposed to COVID-19.
  • If you need to seek routine medical care call ahead to your doctor and tell them you are under COVID-19 quarantine.
  • Do not take public transportation, taxis, or ride-shares to get to your appointment.