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COVID-19 Update #35 11/9/2020 |
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ATTENTION EMPLOYEES: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not currently recommend use of face shields as a substitute for face coverings. Therefore, they may not be used to satisfy face covering requirements. ATTENTION EMPLOYEES: All employees must immediately notify our Medical Department of any positive COVID-19 diagnosis – even if you have been working from home. For any and all COVID-19-related questions or developments, please call our COVID-19 Hotline, staffed 24/7, at 1-888-890-0729. See below for more information on return to work procedures. ALL COVID-19-RELATED ABSENCES – INCLUDING SCHOOL CLOSURES AND OTHER CHILDCARE ISSUES RELATED TO COVID-19 – REQUIRE AN MD-40 FORM TO RETURN TO WORK
All COVID-19-related absences – including school closures and other childcare issues related to COVID-19 – require an MD-40 form, provided by NJ TRANSIT Medical Services, in order to return to the workplace. An MD-40 form is similarly required for ANY absence from the office of 30 days or more.
As a reminder, here’s how to return to work after ANY COVID-19-related absence:
Please remember: For any and all COVID-19-related questions, call the hotline, staffed 24/7, at 1-888-890-0729. Please do not directly contact the NJ TRANSIT Medical Services Department at the standard office numbers for any COVID-19-related matters. This will cause a delay in your case processing. NJ TRANSIT IS COMMITTED TO WORKPLACE SAFETY NJ TRANSIT is dedicated to a culture where safety and health are fundamental values, adopted and practiced throughout the agency. All employees have a role to play in using good judgment and adhering to safeguards. This can be done by looking out for each other to avoid injuries, illnesses, and environmental harm. When something goes wrong, almost goes wrong, or even when something just doesn’t seem safe, it is important to report these concerns. Individuals with specific COVID-19 safety questions or concerns are encouraged to reach out to their immediate supervisor. Dealing with safety issues through the supervisory chain of command is the preferred method; however, when this approach is unsuccessful in resolving a COVID-19-related safety issue, employees can contact the Office of System Safety with COVID-19-related concerns directly by emailing COVIDSAFETY@NJTRANSIT.com. OSS staff will, on request, keep the name of a complainant confidential; however, in some instances, this constraint may prevent thorough investigation and resolution of a complaint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tp0zB904Mc&feature=youtu.be Please see updated CDC guidance below on the definition of “close contact.” NJDOH indicates it will update its guidance to correspond with updated CDC guidance. The CDC now defines “close contact” as “someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.” * Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period (e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). Data are limited, making it difficult to precisely define “close contact;” however, 15 cumulative minutes of exposure at a distance of 6 feet or less can be used as an operational definition for contact investigation. Factors to consider when defining close contact include proximity (closer distance likely increases exposure risk), the duration of exposure (longer exposure time likely increases exposure risk), whether the infected individual has symptoms (the period around onset of symptoms is associated with the highest levels of viral shedding), if the infected person was likely to generate respiratory aerosols (e.g., was coughing, singing, shouting), and other environmental factors (crowding, adequacy of ventilation, whether exposure was indoors or outdoors). Because the general public has not received training on proper selection and use of respiratory PPE, such as an N95, the determination of close contact should generally be made irrespective of whether the contact was wearing respiratory PPE. At this time, differential determination of close contact for those using fabric face coverings is not recommended. COVID-19 Child Care: School-Age Tuition Assistance Program The New Jersey School-Age Tuition Assistance Program can help you pay for care for your school-age child in need of child care as a result of COVID-19 remote learning schools schedules. To be eligible for this assistance, you must be:
Click here for more details. Flexible Work Arrangements for Non-Agreement Employees Due to COVID-19-Related School Closures Policy 3.36B became effective as of 9/22/2020, for Non-Agreement Employees. The policy outlines the guidelines for requesting flexible work arrangements in order to care for minor and dependent children (age 18 and younger) during the school year due to COVID-19 related closures and/or remote learning requirements. The policy can be found on @Transit or this link. The Medical Services Department is still booking appointments for flu vaccines. Online registration is required this season. To register and schedule your appointment, click here or scan this QR code:
This FREE benefit is available to all active NJ TRANSIT employees. EMPLOYEES MUST SHOW THEIR COMPANY ID TO OBTAIN A FLU VACCINE. Eligible Employees may register for any location to receive their free vaccine. All employees in a high-risk category of serious illness should get the flu vaccine either from Medical Services or by contacting their personal physician. Please consult your personal doctor BEFORE requesting a flu vaccine if you:
Do NOT register for a flu vaccine if you:
Additional dates and locations will be added as they become available. Check back often — through the registration link above — for newly added dates, times, and locations near you. OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL ADVISORY UPDATES
New Jersey has issued an incoming travel advisory that all individuals entering New Jersey from states with a significant spread of COVID-19 should quarantine for 14-days after leaving that state. Under the 14-day quarantine travel advisory, individuals traveling or returning to New Jersey from states with increasing rates of COVID-19 are advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. This includes travel by train, bus, car, plane and any other method of transportation. Please note that NJ TRANSIT workers have been deemed critical infrastructure employees and are exempt from the quarantine recommendation. Individuals who routinely work in New Jersey and Delaware are exempt, as well. Of course, numerous people travel back and forth between New Jersey and Delaware for work each day, but are encouraged to work from home if possible. The 14-day quarantine travel advisory applies to travel from certain states identified as those that have a positive COVID-19 test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or have a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average (“impacted states”). As of Wednesday, November 4, 43 states and U.S. jurisdictions are on the list of “impacted states”:
Note: Hawaii was removed 9/15/20. The Virgin Islands were removed 9/8/20. The District of Columbia was removed on 8/4/20. This list is subject to change and will be updated in this advisory as needed. Consider rescheduling any travel to the affected states until the conclusion of this public health advisory. If you do travel to any of the affected states, please be extra vigilant while travelling and upon your return. Wear the appropriate PPE and, as a reminder, face coverings are required at all NJ TRANSIT work locations. Monitor your health for any COVID-19 symptoms, and if you’re feeling symptomatic, we recommend availing yourself of one of the numerous COVID-19 testing sites across the state, including the six NJ TRANSIT employee testing sites (see information immediately below). NJ TRANSIT employees are urged to take advantage of the COVID-19 testing provided by NJ TRANSIT, Agile Urgent Care, and Accurate Laboratories. Testing is available at the following locations:
Registration for this service is required. You may register online at njt.agileurgentcare.com. Please find a comprehensive list of COVID-19 testing sites in New Jersey, as of November 6th. This list includes new COVID-19 testing options for NJ TRANSIT employees in north, south, and central New Jersey, as well as state and county testing sites. Private testing sites can be found via the link on the bottom of the document. EMPLOYEE FACE COVERING DIRECTIVES Consistent with CDC guidance, established best practices, and NJ TRANSIT’s Communicable Disease in the Workplace policy, NJ TRANSIT employees are required to wear face coverings while working at all NJ TRANSIT has purchased and secured enough cloth face coverings for all employees. Employees are not permitted to wear masks with logos other than NJ TRANSIT’s, or distracting graphics or messages. The only face coverings permitted for employees are:
How to get your NJ TRANSIT-supplied face covering
Supervisors throughout the agency have been asked to distribute NJ TRANSIT-supplied face coverings. Before coming into the office or work location, please talk with your supervisor to receive your NJ TRANSIT-supplied face covering(s) if you have not received yours already. Below, please find COVID-19 statistics. As with the rest of the country, NJ TRANSIT has unfortunately seen a slight uptick in positive COVID-19 cases among our employees. 48 NJ TRANSIT employees are currently positive, although we are still down significantly from a current high of 299 positive cases on April 27th. Now more than ever, we must remain vigilant – maintaining our aggressive approach to cleaning and disinfection, and, as a reminder: Face coverings remain a critical safety requirement for all employees in every
Total U.S. Positive Cases: 9,808,411
Total New Jersey Positive Cases: 254,595
Total NJ TRANSIT Positive Cases: 651
Current NJ TRANSIT Positive Cases: 48
Current NJ TRANSIT Quarantines: 113
Total NJ TRANSIT Returned to Work: 3,250
NJ TRANSIT Curve: |
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