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CDC issues new guidelines for essential workers amid coronavirus outbreak

WASHINGTON, April 9 (KUNA) -- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued Wednesday evening new guidelines for critical infrastructure workers who have been exposed to coronavirus in order "to ensure continuity of operations of essential functions." The CDC advised that "critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure to COVID-19, provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community." "A potential exposure means being a household contact or having close contact within six feet of an individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19," it explained.
"The timeframe for having contact with an individual includes the period of time of 48 hours before the individual became symptomatic." The guidelines include temperature checks before entering work, wearing a face mask "at all times while in the workplace for 14 days after last exposure," "maintain six feet and practice social distancing," and to "disinfect and clean work spaces." It stressed that if "the employee becomes sick during the day, they should be sent home immediately," and that "others at the facility with close contact within six feet of the employee during this time would be considered exposed." (end) si.mt