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1. My question is not addressed in these FAQs. Who should I contact?

All your COVID-19 related inquiries must be directed to the HR/Risk team to ensure HIPPA/ADA compliance with the employee’s Right to Privacy. You may call/text/email any HR/Risk team members.

2. What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People have had these symptoms:

• Fever (100.4° or higher) or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update the list of symptoms as we learn more about COVID-19

3. When can I stop or discontinue quarantine/isolation if I have tested positive for COVID-19?

Use the Quarantine & Isolation Calculator to help you determine when you can stop or discontinue quarantine/isolation. 

4. What are the District's Guidelines for Critical Infrastructure Workers?

The following are the District’s Guidelines for employees (also referred to as Critical Infrastructure Workers) reporting to work without symptoms after a known or suspected exposure to COVID-19.  

• Conduct daily self-checks for symptoms throughout the day, at minimum before, during, and after work.
• Submit to a daily temperature check before your shift with HR/Risk or designee.
• Complete a daily self-certification form and turn this form into the person taking your temperature.
• Keep track of all your close contacts for 14 days after the date of your known exposure. 
• If you develop symptoms, contact tracing will be needed for the two days before your symptoms started until you notified HR/Risk or began isolation (at home or work).
• Wear your face covering at all times, especially when away from your desk or talking to others.
• Clean and disinfect tools and workspaces frequently, especially in common areas.
• Continue social distancing of at least 6ft or more from others.
• Wash your hands frequently, and immediately after you sneeze or cough.  If soap and water are not readily available, use hand sanitizer.

The CDC developed the Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19.

5. What steps should i take to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if I am sick?

If you are ill with COVID-19, follow these steps below to care for yourself, and to help protect other people in your home and community:

• Stay home except to get medical care
• Separate yourself from other people
• If you are sick wear a cloth covering over your nose or mouth
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Clean your hands often
• Avoid sharing personal household items
• Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day

 CDC Information:  Protect Yourself and Others  /  If you are sick or caring for others

6. What is considered "close contact?"

Close contact is defined as someone who is within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes.  

If you are asked to complete Contact Tracing, you will need to identify your close contacts.  If you have:

• Symptoms: Tracing begins 48 hours before you first noticed your symptoms until you began isolation
• No Symptoms:  Tracing may vary and be up to 10 days before you were notified by HR/Risk

7. When will the District conduct contact tracing?

Contact tracing (which may require sharing your information with health officials) will only be coordinated by the HR/Risk to ensure HIPAA and ADA requirements are met at all levels in the District’s response.

Contact tracing will vary depending on the level of exposure. If an outbreak occurs in the workplace, the District must notify the County Health Department. You may also be contacted by the County’s Communicable Disease Services department to determine if others were exposed to you outside the District.

8. I am an employee who is suspected or confirmed to be positive with COVID-19, is there a form I need to complete for contact tracing?

Yes, you must complete the District’s Contact Tracing Form,  so HR/Risk can identify the workplace location(s) for cleaning and disinfection, and inform employees who had close contact with you of their potential exposure.

Contact tracing will require the following information:

• Demographic – your contact information
• Health Information – your present symptoms, if any, and if you fall into a high-risk category
• Risk Factors – if known, how or where you were exposed  
• Contact Elicitation – identifies the timeframe you may have been exposed, list of individuals, and locations where you had close contact during the exposure timeframe.

9. What are the steps taken to clean and disinfect after a person is suspected/confirmed to have COVID-19?

After contact tracing is completed by the ill employee(s), all exposed locations will be identified.  Cleaning and/or disinfection will vary based on the type and level of exposure following CDC guidelines. 

Coronavirus on surfaces and objects naturally dies within hours to days. Warmer temperatures and exposure to sunlight will reduce the time the virus survives on surfaces and objects. Normal routine cleaning with soap and water removes germs and dirt from surfaces and lowers the risk of spreading COVID-19 infection.

10. Will the District coordinate COVID-19 testing?

If a COVID-19 outbreak occurs in the workplace, HR/Risk will coordinate testing through the San Bernardino County Public Health Communicable Disease Department.  The procedures and options for testing will vary based on the employees’ exposure level and the number of affected employees. 

For individual or isolated cases, it may be quicker to find a walk-in facility or contact your physician to request testing with their contracted facility. 

In the meantime, HR/Risk is actively seeking other options to provide employees with access to immediate testing and will update this FAQ when this information becomes available.

11. Where can I get a COVID-19?

Refer to your County’s COVID-19 or Local Health Department website for testing locations and hours as some do require you to make an appointment.

• San Bernardino County
• Riverside County
• Los Angeles County
• Orange County County

12. When can I return to work if I tested positive with COVID-19?

If you are under doctor’s care, consult with your treating physician first to determine the best available option for you. The decision to discontinue home isolation for persons with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should be made in the context of local circumstances.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, DO have symptoms, and directed to care for yourself at home, you may discontinue isolation when:

• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared AND
• At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication AND
• Symptoms have improved

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, DO NOT have symptoms, and capable of working from home, you may telework until the 10th day after you took your test.  You may report to work on Day 11.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, DO NOT have symptoms, and unable to telework, you may opt to remain home using your FFCRA leave until the 10th day after you took your test.  You may report to work on Day 11. 

However, it is also possible for you to report to work if you are positive, not displaying symptoms, or your symptoms have improved as long as you follow the CDC’s Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19. This option to return to work with symptoms must be cleared through HR/Risk first.

13. I have developed uncertainty and stress because of COVID-19; how can I cope with this newfound stress?

Your emotional and mental wellbeing is essential when dealing with uncertainties and stressors, such as COVID-19. Most people respond to change or loss in the same way. The key to coping with and adapting successfully to changes is by developing resilience. Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. It means, “bouncing back” from painful experiences.

• Accept that the change or threat has happened
• Take charge of what you can control and don’t worry about what you cannot
• Avoid viewing challenges as unachievable, but rather as a goal that can be taken one step at a time
• Do something to take your mind of what is going on, even if it means learning some new skills or talents
• Maintain strong connections with family and friends while social distancing
• Make a list of changes you have successfully navigated in the past and determine the key factors that helped you through it
• Keep a long-term perspective and a hopeful outlook
• Take care of your physical and mental health

Additionally, the District offers the Water Employees’ LifeLine (WELL)/Employee Assistance Program. The WELL program is available to employees and family members who need any support for their mental wellbeings such as COVID-related anxiety and stressors. Support is available 24/7 at (951) 204-7124.