Back on thread’s topic……RainbowsandUnicorns wrote: ↑Wed Mar 08, 2023 5:26 am 5 Covid questions of the day.....
You have a co-worker who comes to work and is clearly sick. You tell the co-worker they should probably go home. They ignore you. The next day the co-worker tests positive for Covid.
Two days later you're sick and have Covid. You can't prove you got it from the co-worker but you can't prove you didn't. Because you have Covid, you have to miss an important work meeting, can't attend a concert you purchased tickets (or A ticket) to go to, and can't go on a vacation you had planned.
1. On a scale of 1-100 (1 being don't care - 100 being if you could you would kill the co-worker) how pissed are you at the co-woker?
2. Do you blame your employer and/or the sick co-worker's supervisor/superior for not sending the co-worker home - despite knowing the co-worker is clearly sick?
3. Again, you can't prove you got Covid from the co-worker - but you can't prove you didn't. Do you feel you have the right to ask your employer to be reimbursed for money you lost by not being able to go to the concert and on your vacation AND - any/all medical expenses you incur?
4. Do you feel you have the right to refuse to return to work WITHOUT repercussions until the company sends out a company wide memo reminding employees if they are sick (Covid or any other obvious illness) they need to stay home?
5. There are people who truly believe or at least claim Covid is over. What percentage of those people do you feel are Republicans and what percentage do you feel are Democrats?
1. 99.9
2. Yes
3. I doubt you’ll get anywhere, but definitely worth testing the limits of our legal system. People have sued with lot less evidence/standing.
4. Yes, and that’s the least they should do. You’re on lot firmer legal ground if they try to fire you or cause any repercussions. OSHA will back you up, as is the legal precedent of restaurant workers and flight attendants in relation to smoking, and providing a safe workplace.
5. It’s turning to an endemic disease that has to be managed differently than a year ago.
Two related recent events. I started a new job which is hybrid (WFH 2 days a week) but I go in every day until I familiarize myself with the people and the work. Everyone coming on site has to test every Sunday (or the day prior to the first on site day of the week) using a company provided testing apparatus that automatically uploads the test results. One particular Tuesday I was in a couple of meetings with a colleague and he had onset of symptoms later that evening, and then tested positive the following morning. He immediately alerted the designated person and we were all informed about the exposure and given instructions about next steps. Company wide email went out immediately saying that we had an infection, close contacts were privately informed and a reminder on best practices. I immediately isolated at home and began testing every other day beginning that Friday evening until the following Tuesday and have been negative. I’m back to weekly testing. Two other people on the close contact list were infected, one had fairly severe symptoms. This is how responsible workplaces handle the situation.
My daughter who’s a grad student participated in the recruiting weekend at her school and one of the visiting students almost certainly gave her Covid. Her PI has been very supportive but otherwise she’s on her own. They never put any systems in place to avoid transmission and the onus was her to alert her lab mates about the infection.
