COVID-19 Reopening Guidance

Fulton County has purchased personal protective equipment (PPE), including face coverings, and hand sanitizer as well as modified its sanitization procedures.  Additionally, the County has implemented recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its “Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019,” which can be accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html.

Administrative leave will continue to be available to employees for COVID-19 related absences through June 15, 2020.  After June 15, 2020, employees can use leave under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSLA”), which provides up to 80 hours of paid leave (which will not be deducted from an employee’s accrued leave banks) to an employee who is unable to work (or telecommute) for COVID-19 related reasons. In addition, the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (“FMLA+”) amends the FMLA to provide paid leave to an employee who is unable to work (or telework) due to a need to care for the employee’s son or daughter (under 18 years of age) if the child’s elementary or secondary school or place of care has been closed, or the childcare provider is unavailable, because of COVID-19.

Yes, however, Fulton County remains committed to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for its employees.  You therefore will not be permitted to enter the workplace until you have taken the test and received your test results, and it has been determined that your presence in the workplace will not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others. Any employee who refuses to take the test will not be permitted to report to work or to utilize accrued leave to cover his/her absence.  Absent an approved accommodation, the employee will placed in a leave without pay status for up to five business days.  At the end of this period, the employee may face disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal for job abandonment, in accordance with applicable Fulton County policies and procedures.

If you are unable to comply with any of the safety measures that are being implemented by Fulton County due to a disability or your personal religious beliefs, you may contact the Fulton County Department of Diversity and Civil Rights Compliance (DCRC) at (404) 612-7305 for information regarding requesting an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII).

Consistent with the Telecommuting Policy and Procedure (335-16), each department head has the authority and discretion to approve or deny requests to telecommute based on operational need and other objective criteria including proven ability to perform, high job knowledge, ability to establish clear objectives, flexibility, ability to work independently, and dependability. 

First, you should immediately contact your department’s HR Liaison to request emergency paid sick leave under the EPSLA.  You will be required to complete an Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act Request Form along with supporting documentation.  You should then contact the County’s third party FMLA vendor, Sedgwick, at 888-436-9530 or via the company’s employee portal at timeoff.sedgwick.com, to determine your eligibility and qualification for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). 

Be advised that, in accordance with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), positive test results will be provided confidentially to the Georgia Department of Public Health, and the fact that you have taken the test, but not the result of your test, will be provided to Fulton County. If you do test positive and need that information forwarded to HR for absence reporting purposes, you will need to provide the Board of Health with a separate written authorization to release your test results to Fulton County.