Quarantined paramedics receive emergency sick pay

    Murphy – Shortly after the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners’ temporary emergency sick leave policy went into effect, it was tested when four paramedics had to go into quarantine after working on a patient who may have had COVID-19.
    “In times like this, you are concerned about your medical personnel,” commission Chairman Roy Dickey said after sharing what he knew of the paramedics.
    The policy, which went into effect April 1, outlines that all county employees may use the paid two-week emergency sick leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act if quarantined, experiencing symptoms or for other coronavirus-related reasons. It also gives all employees the offer of an additional 10 weeks paid at the higher of either two-thirds the employee’s regular pay rate or the minimum wage.
    “For COVID purposes, the emergency sick leave is extended first and does not have any impact whatsoever on the employee’s own accrued leave,” said Melody Johnson, the county’s human resources director.
    As a result, the paramedics quarantined for possible exposure did not have to use any of their accrued sick leave or vacation time to continue getting paid while quarantined and awaiting test results. Anyone awaiting test results is quarantined until results are returned, Cherokee County Health Director David Badger said.
    The patient passed away, and the county could not confirm any details about the patient or testing. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention does have guidelines for testing deceased patients. The county has not reported any coronavirus-related deaths since the first death on March 31.
    Emergency Management Director Robin Caldwell said the paramedics had the proper personal protective equipment to treat the patient. EMS was following protocols from the CDC as well as the Cherokee County Health Department in this situation.
    “EMS has the proper
PPE recommended by
the CDC which includes gowns, gloves, masks, face shields and goggles and guidelines in which to use that PPE,” she said. “EMS has procedures in place to properly decontaminate a truck if there is a possible exposure, which they did after this call.”
    The county’s EMS has
46 full-time and 22 part-time employees, Caldwell said. Johnson said 51 of
the employees work as
paramedics.
    In addition to the emergency sick leave provisions, the county’s policy also included provisions to continue providing insurance to employees if a temporary layoff or furlough occurs. The policy remains in effect until Dec. 31.