COVID-19 Return to Work – Frequently Asked Questions
When can I go back to work?
Returning to work is a decision that should be determined by you and your employer based on a number of factors. Contact your employer for guidance about returning to work. Be sure to continue to follow federal, state, and local government guidance regarding social distancing and isolation.
What are the risks of going back to work too soon?
If you go back to work too soon, you risk transmitting COVID-19 to others or becoming infected with COVID-19 yourself.
What steps can I take to protect myself at work?
Follow your employer’s guidance regarding ways to protect yourself and others from becoming infected with COVID-19. In general, some protective measures include, but are not limited to, the following:
Your employer may also have procedures in place to check your temperature regularly.
What does it mean to have a safe work environment?
Employers are responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for their employees. These duties include:
Ensuring the building is well ventilated to provide acceptable indoor air quality.
Regularly checking air filters to ensure they are within service life and appropriately installed.
Following the CDC’s Guidance for Building Water Systems.
Ensuring adequate supplies for employees, customers, and visitors so they may clean their hands and cover their coughs and sneezes (i.e., offering soap and water, hand sanitizer, tissues, and no-touch trash cans).
Performing routine cleaning by following the CDC’s Guidance on Cleaning and Disinfecting.
What other safety measures can employers put in place to reduce risks at work?
Encouraging hand hygiene and using non-contact methods of greeting.
Hanging informational posters at the entrance of the workplace and in other workplace areas where they are likely to be seen.
Directing employees to visit CDC’s Coughing and Sneezing Etiquette and Clean Hands webpages for more information.
Encouraging or requiring the use of face masks or cloth coverings.
Holding meetings in open, well-ventilated space that maintain social distancing guidelines.
Adjusting, cancelling, or postponing in-person meetings, or encouraging videoconferencing or teleconferencing.
Limiting non-essential travel, and advising employees who travel that they must take additional precautions and preparations.