MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some employers are asking employees to stay in the area, and especially away to cities that are hotspots for COVID-19.
Consumer protection attorney Kevin Snider explained under current guidelines from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, your employer could administer a COVID-19 test before you return to work.
"They have to meet certain factors, meaning it’s for a business need, it’s essential to protect other employees, the testing they need has to be reliable, and it needs to meet the general standards of testing," Snider said.
You don't need to volunteer your recent travel history with your employer, but Snider said out of precaution, your employer could make you quarantine for 14 days. Depending on the rules of your workplace, they could have to pay you while in quarantine and make reasonable work accommodations.
"They can not only require you to get tested but they can require you to take the results of the test, and before you come back to work, they can require you to get a doctor's note saying you’ve now tested negative," Snider said.
While this seems contradictory to HIPAA guidelines, Snider explained the intent is for the greater good and protecting employees from getting infected or spreading the virus.
"The sacrifice to that is the privacy of the particular employee that is being tested or has tested positive," Snider said.
If you are planning a trip soon, you might want to check with your employer to see if they are advising you to stay in the area, and look into what information you may have to provide if you leave and test positive.