Virus prevention plan approved

Appalachia has adopted a COVID-19 and infectious disease prevention plan as required by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.
Accompanying the prevention plan is an infectious disease (COVID-19) preparedness and response plan template.

Town council has named Town Manager Fred Luntsford as the health officer. The plan states that “the health officer has the authority to stop or alter activities to ensure that all work practices conform to the mandatory safety and health requirements applicable to COVID-19 as well as any other infectious disease hazards.”

Luntsford is responsible for administering the plan, monitoring agencies for new requirements and updating the plan accordingly, as well as communicating those updates or changes and monitoring the overall effectiveness of the plan.

Some of the basic control measures listed include the disinfecting of restrooms, common areas, door knobs/handles, tools and other frequently touched surfaces before, in the middle of and at the end of each shift.

Some additional precautions and actions listed are:

• Large gathering are minimized whenever possible; staff meetings are postponed, cancelled or held remotely.

• Employees are encouraged to maintain physical distance, even when on break, as well as before and after working hours.

• Employee work stations are greater than six feet apart.

• The employer may use flexible work hours, whenever possible, to limit the number of employees simultaneously working onsite.

• Screenings will be done that include temperature checks and a series of questions about personal health and exposure risks.

There are test-based and other strategies for returning to work after a positive diagnosis. While it states that the test-based strategy is preferred, other strategies can be used depending on availability of testing supplies and laboratory capacity.

Under the test-based strategy, employees who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 may return to work after resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, improvement of respiratory symptoms and negative nasopharyngeal swab specimens collected at least 24 hours apart.

For non-test situations, employees can return when at least 72 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, improvement in respiratory symptoms and at least seven days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

“Employees who come into close contact with or who may live with an individual with a confirmed diagnosis or symptoms my return to work after 14 days have passed since the last close contact with the diagnosed and/or symptomatic individual,” it states. “This includes diagnosed and/or symptomatic individual receiving a negative COVID-19 test.”

All employees will be required to have training on the hazards and characteristics of the disease.

Council voted unanimously Sept. 17 to implement the plans.