• Employee and customer safety comes first;
• Follow and use public health and safety practices from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS); and
• Provide essential public services to the people of Alaska.
  

To apply these principles, we need to implement agency requirements and consistent statewide guidelines that allow adaptability in a safe and responsible manner.  Our goal is to keep our employees and customers safe and healthy while continuing essential public services and mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

Employees should follow all safety and health practices and standards established by the CDC and the state. Employees will contribute to a healthy workplace, including not knowingly exposing co-workers and the public to conditions that would jeopardize their health or the health of others.

This Guide does not take the place of general health and safety requirements issued by DHSS or other authorizing sources. It is to provide guidance to safeguard our workforce and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

dot.employee.questions@alaska.gov

Commissioner’s Office – The Commissioner’s office will disseminate the latest information from the Governor’s Office, Department of Administration and the Unified Command. Headquarters and Regional Directors and Managers should not distribute alternative guidance without prior approval from the Commissioner’s Office.

Division Directors and Managers are responsible for ensuring their respective staff are kept apprised of information that they may not otherwise see in a timely manner; this includes employees who rarely read email or may not have immediate access to updated information.

All staff are reminded that under ADA they may not ask about employee’s diagnosis or symptoms, nor may they ask about family members.

Review the CDC guidelines at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/workplace-school-and-home-guidance.pdf.

Review OSHA/COVID rules at: 
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/standards.html

• Hiring managers are encouraged to conduct job interviews telephonically or via other technology platforms such as MS Teams or WebEx.
• If interviews or job testing must be conducted in-person, follow the Social Distancing, Common Practices and Office Access sections of this document. If a job applicant is unable to participate in interviews or testing in person due to illness, they may be rescheduled when recovered or if not possible, they can choose to withdraw their application at that time.
• If a job offer is extended and the potential appointee is unable to start work timely due to suspected/confirmed COVID-19, hiring managers may delay the start date to accommodate recovery. Appointees with confirmed COVID will be required to present a release from isolation letter from the Division of Public Health before entering the workplace. 

Staff may not travel if sick - even if illness is known not to be COVID-19 -- or if they have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

• Staff traveling to a community off the road system will review local requirements prior to requesting travel: https://covid19.alaska.gov/unified-command/press-releases-documents/. If a community has orders more restrictive than the travel plan, consult with your supervisor and Division Director on how to proceed.
• To protect yourself and others should transmission occur, it is advised to keep a log of where you go, when, and who you meet to assist Division of Public Health in contact tracing.  Keep this information for 4 weeks. While in a community, consider keeping your social circle small: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Epi/id/Pages/COVID-19/bubble.aspx. See guidance in attending social gatherings at http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/PlayEveryDay/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=467.
• For air travel, check airline pre-travel health requirements.
• Anticipate travel needs: Pack hand sanitizer and keep in easy reach, bring a cloth face covering, and prep water and nonperishable food in case of reduced inflight service or closed restaurants and stores. For air travel, consider packing sanitizing wipes to disinfect seat, tray table and overhead vent.
• Follow airport and airline guidelines for cloth face coverings while in airport facilities.
• Follow Social Distancing and Common Practices sections of this document routinely.
• If using a contractor-furnished or rental vehicle, follow Vehicle/Equipment Cleaning Procedures in this document. 
• When using for-hire or ride-share transportation, wear a cloth face covering and sit in the back seat. Avoid rides where other passengers who are picked up do not live or work together. Ask the driver to improve vehicle ventilation if possible, by opening windows or setting air ventilation/air conditioning on fresh air mode. Do not recirculate air. 
• Lodging in a hotel/inn with a posted COVID-19 sanitation plan is preferable. Consider wearing a cloth face covering in elevators or use stairs as an alternative if possible.
• Get food via room service, store, take-out or eat only at a restaurant following guidance in https://covid19.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/05222020-Phase-III-IV-016-Attachment-F-Restaurants-Dine-In-Services.pdf. 
• If an employee becomes sick while working in a roadless community, the site supervisor shall:
• Isolate and return the infected personnel home as quickly as possible.
• Notify the Project Management Team immediately upon discovering symptoms.

Leave requests which include interstate/international travel may only be approved by a supervisor if the employee has 10 work days (75/80 hours) of accrued personal/annual leave in addition to the requested amount to accommodate for an absence from duty in the event of a positive test upon return to Alaska.  For mandatory quarantine or quarantine while awaiting test results, an employee whose duties permit will be required to telework. If an employee declines to telework in that instance, they must use their own accrued leave. This is not a qualifying condition for COVID leave. For more information, see the COVID-19 Leave Policy at https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/directorsOffice/covid19/#gsc.tab=0.

Follow the guidance established in the COVID-19 Management Plan http://dot.alaska.gov/2020/docs/COVID-19-Mitigation-Response-Plan.pdf

Develop site or activity-specific plans for individual projects and activities as needed. 

Review Reopen Alaska Responsibly Large Gatherings & Community Events Guidance Document at https://covid19.alaska.gov/reopen/

• If there are people in the workplace who are sick and/or exhibiting COVID-like symptoms - have them cover their mouth and nose with whatever they have on hand and have them leave the location immediately or isolate them until they can return to their residence.
• Have them contact their health provider.  
• Notify your supervisor.
• Employees with confirmed COVID will be required to present a release from isolation letter from the Division of Public Health before returning to the workplace. 
• Close off areas used by the sick employee but open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the area. 
• Wait 24 hours before cleaning or disinfecting; if 24 hours is not feasible, wait as long as possible.
• Wear disposable gloves and masks for all tasks in the cleaning process including handling trash.
• Use appropriate materials to clean and sanitize the employee’s workplace and any surfaces they may have come in contact with including offices, common areas, restrooms, and shared equipment like touchscreens, remote controls, etc. 
• Once the area has been disinfected, it can be reopened. Staff without close contact with the sick employee can return to work immediately after disinfection.
• If more than 7 days since the sick employee visited or used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary. Continue routine cleaning and disinfection.
• The individual will need to complete Employee Report of Occupational Injury form and submit to the regional Safety Officer. Further instructions on additional reporting will come from them. 

• Employees who have come into close contact (less than 6 feet for more than 10 minutes) with an individual who has tested positive for COVID should immediately get tested and quarantine for 14 days.
• Whenever possible, employees should be allowed to work from home during quarantine.
• If telecommuting is not possible, employees should be permitted to take leave in accordance with annual and COVID leave policies.

To ensure continuity of operations of essential functions, CDC advises that critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure to COVID-19, provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community.

A potential exposure means being a household contact or having close contact within 6 feet of an individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The timeframe for having contact with an individual includes the period of time of 48 hours before the individual became symptomatic.

Critical Infrastructure workers who have had an exposure but remain asymptomatic should adhere to the following practices prior to and during their work shift:

• Pre-Screen: Employees should monitor their temperature and assess symptoms prior to starting work. Ideally, temperature checks should happen before the individual enters the facility.
• Regular Monitoring: As long as the employee doesn’t have a temperature or symptoms, they should self-monitor.
• Wear a Mask: The employee must wear a face mask at all times while in the workplace for 14 days after last exposure. Employers can issue facemasks or can approve employees’ supplied cloth face coverings in the event of shortages.
• Social Distance: The employee should maintain 6 feet and practice social distancing as work duties permit in the workplace.
• Disinfect and Clean work spaces: Disinfect all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment routinely. Ensure routine cleaning is followed per this policy.

If the employee becomes sick during the day, they should be sent home immediately. Surfaces in their workspace should be cleaned and disinfected. Information on persons who had contact with the ill employee during the time the employee had symptoms and 2 days prior to symptoms should be compiled. Others at the facility with close contact within 6 feet of the employee during this time would be considered exposed.

More information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/critical-workers/implementing-safety-practices.html.