Reminder: COVID-19 reporting guidelines for workplace

Dear staff:

Because of the rise in COVID-19 cases in Michigan and the need to be safe during the upcoming holiday season, we would like to remind you of our established procedures if you test positive for COVID-19 or come in close contact with a COVID-positive individual. These procedures have been implemented to ensure that we have a safe environment in the offices and buildings where we work. The procedures are as follows: 

• All COVID-positive cases need to be reported directly to me, Mike DeRose, director of the Office of Human Resources, at derosem@michigan.gov per Office of State Employer/DTMB protocol. Please include the name of the employee, the last date they were in an MDHHS building, and what building they were in. 

• Unvaccinated employees who come in close contact with a COVID-positive individual must quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure. Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual five-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).

• Vaccinated employees who come in close contact with a COVID-positive individual do not need to quarantine but should monitor for symptoms. 

We encourage all of you to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if you have not already done so. In addition, booster doses for those 18 and up were authorized last week. You should schedule an appointment for a booster dose if you received your second Moderna or Pfizer vaccination more than six months ago, or if you received your Johnson & Johnson single dose more than two months ago. The effectiveness of the initial vaccinations might wane after several months, and the booster is designed to provide additional protection against the virus. 

Please remember that we require everyone to wear a mask in State of Michigan buildings, regardless of vaccination status, unless you are alone in an office with the door shut. Also keep in mind that our department has just issued a new health advisory recommending that all Michiganders over the age of 2 wear a face mask at indoor gatherings regardless of their vaccination status, and we are encouraging people to following CDC guidance on social distancing while out in public. 

Your safety is our highest concern, and we’re confident these guidelines will help reduce the spread of the virus within our workforce. We wish you only good health as you see loved ones during the upcoming holidays.

Thank you.

Mike DeRose
Director
Office of Human Resources