Health Department releases COVID-19 toolkit for businesses

Last edited 3:27 p.m., Sept. 10, 2020

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department released a toolkit designed to help businesses navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

The resources are meant to minimize disruptions to business operations if an employee tests positive for COVID-19, said Cara Erwin, informatics and outreach manager for the Health Department.

"Employers and co-workers often know before the Health Department does when someone has tested positive," she said. "If we can empower these employers to be able to help us by taking some early actions, it will help reduce the spread."

The toolkit includes best practices, printable signs and contact logs, according to a news release.

Erwin said innovative solutions used by businesses so far have included policies for employees to work in cohorts.

"One of the challenges we found is that when we call businesses, they're not quite sure who works with who and where they were and for how long," she noted. "The better records that they can keep, it's going to benefit the employer."

Health Department officials say workplaces are one of the leading local sources of disease spread for COVID-19. There have been more than 4,300 confirmed coronavirus cases in Greene County since March.

[Editor’s note: Springfield Business Journal is scheduled to moderate a panel discussion at 11 a.m. Sept. 15 with the Health Department, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Mother's Brewing Co. It will be streamed on Facebook Live.]