If it’s not COVID then you can still work?

[Len, BSN, RN]

Hello everyone,

so I’m fairly new to posting but I just wanted some opinions. So, I live in the current #1 city for COVID spike. There has been more positive cases in staff, but also in general everyone is getting sick. However, the nurses that are getting sick but are COVID negative are obligated to come in regardless. I just wanted an opinion:

if a nurse is sick or not feeling well, but is COVID negative, Should they be obligated to come in? 

[Floor_Nurse]

My company has a new policy that states that if a nurse has a low-grade fever, (Covid negative) they aren't allowed to work, even if they get better... until they are cleared by a doctor.

We had staffing shortages before Covid,  but now it's worse.  

[Len, BSN, RN]

53 minutes ago, Floor_Nurse said:

My company has a new policy that states that if a nurse has a low-grade fever, (Covid negative) they aren't allowed to work, even if they get better... until they are cleared by a doctor.

We had staffing shortages before Covid,  but now it's worse.  

We don’t even have a policy that blankets other illness! It’s ridiculous and nurses are forcing themselves to come to work ill because fear of being reprimanded ??‍♀️

[Guest219794]

If somebody has a likelihood of a communicable virus or bacterial infection, they should not go into an environment here they are likely to transmit it to others.
What was the question?

 

[MunoRN, RN]

The rule where I've worked is that respiratory symptoms without fever isn't an accepted reason to call off, since that's most likely the common cold or allergies, you're expected to work but with a mask (even pre-Covid).

I can't really imagine what would happen if everyone with the sniffles but no fever called out from work, there are instances where we would have little to no doctors or nurses in the hospital, that would be catastrophic and clearly wouldn't be more beneficial than harmful.