Q: Can an employer require employees who return to work following a COVID-19 Diagnosis to wear a mask?
I am a Civil Service Employee in NYS, which is a represented by a Union. The Chief Administrative officer has stated that once the Dept of Health Clears an employee to return to work after a COVID-19 Infection, that the employee must wear a mask for 7 additional days. The act of being forced to wear a mask after being cleared by a medical professional would create an uncomfortable perception in the workplace that you are infected with a communicable disease which would, with a level of certainty lead to discrimination. In addition, that in order to enforce compliance with this order- it would be necessary for protected employee health information to be widely disseminated through the agencies rank structure to many supervisory levels. Employees with no history of COVID-19 are NOT required to wear a mask. Is this situation permissible?
A:
Everyone should be wearing masks with or without a diagnosis. Medical experts recommend that.
I had an emergency need to venture out today. The people with masks are the ones we respect most because they respect us and our well being.
You should be held in high esteem and continue wearing a mask. It would probably be worse to be fired and receive only unemployment would it not? Can any medical expert anywhere guarantee that you only need 7 extra days? Wear one into the foreseeable future assuming you work among intelligent coworkers.
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