LUBBOCK, Texas– On Monday, the Lubbock County Commissioners Court unanimously approved recommendations from the county HR department to continue to pay employees if they are directly affected by COVID-19, also known as coronavirus.
Certain qualifications have to be met, said the Honorable Judge Curtis Parrish.
Those qualifications include:
- The employee is quarantined due to COVID-19
- The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19
- The employee is advised by a healthcare provider to quarantine
- The employee is car for an individual who is subject to a quarantine order or advised to self-quarantine
- The employee is caring for a son or daughter if the school, or place of care, has been closed
Other options were discussed, including whether said employees would need to provide a doctor’s note before returning to work.
Dr. John Lang, interim chief medical examiner for Lubbock County, advised people going to the ER experiencing symptoms to get a doctor’s note should not go.
“If people think they have COVID-19, that will overwhelm medical offices,” said Lang. “I think people just have to do the right thing and look out for each other, because we’re all in this together.”
Parrish said that the recommendations from HR are temporary and will have to be approved each time when it’s necessary.