Washington extends protections for 'high-risk' workers during COVID-19 crisis

Washington is extending certain protections to high-risk employees through the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency, Governor Jay Inslee recently announced by proclamation. He also issued a memorandum clarifying which workers are considered "high-risk" under the proclamation and when you may request medical verification from them.

Defining 'high-risk employee'

Who is a high-risk employee for the proclamation's purposes? Specifically, the memorandum says only those employees who fall within the following categories are covered by the proclamation and any future versions of the order:

• They are 65 years or older;
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists their conditions under the "at increased risk" category; or
• The CDC lists their conditions under the "might be at increased risk" category, but only if, based on their medical circumstances and workplace conditions, they are in fact at increased risk for suffering severe illness from COVID-19.

According to current CDC guidance, people of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19: cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from a solid organ transplant, obesity (having a body mass index of 30 or higher), serious heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies, sickle cell disease, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The list is subject to change as new information about the coronavirus emerges.