MDHHS updates quarantine guidelines: what it means for employers

On December 2, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance regarding the self-quarantine period for individuals who come in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. While the CDC didn’t change its standard 14-day self-quarantine advice, it added new options for local public health authorities to consider.

New guidance

Considering the CDC's recommendation, on December 4, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated its guidance on COVID-19 quarantine periods. The new guidance provides  the standard 14-day quarantine period may be reduced to 10 days if the following two conditions exist:

• The individual doesn’t develop any symptoms or clinical evidence of COVID-19 infection during daily monitoring for the 10 days after the last exposure; and
• Daily symptom monitoring continues through day 14 after the last exposure.

The MDHHS did not adopt the CDC’s additional alternative to allow individuals to end quarantine after seven days when they receive a negative specimen test and have no symptoms reported during daily monitoring.

Employers wondering if they can relax their return-to-work requirements for employees who had close contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19 should be aware a Michigan statute (MCL § 419.405) specifically states employees who have close contact with an individual who is diagnosed with or has coronavirus symptoms may not return to work until either: