As of summer 2022, COVID-19 remains present. It just isn’t all that encompassing anymore, until there is an outbreak. Throughout our region, in the last seven days, there has been on average a 25% spike in reported COVID-19 cases. While much less serious than in those first days, a COVID-19 outbreak in the workplace can have a major impact on production.
The at-home tests have been effective in catching a positive COVID-19 infection, but these tests may not show a positive result for individuals with a very low viral load, leading to possible exposure.
More than two years ago, PIA MidAmerica helped our member companies and industry face a brand-new hurdle in the marketplace – COVID-19. In those beginning days, as we were working with state and federal leaders to receive essential business classification, we knew that the pandemic would have far-reaching impacts in our industry. Beyond the health and well-being of our workforce, the supply chain has been impacted, resulting in additional challenges. (We just finished on an article for the summer issue of our Advisor magazine to shed light on why paper remains such a problem.) PIA MidAmerica continues to monitor and respond to the challenges that face the industry.
PIA MidAmerica also worked with our employment law attorney (Monica Narvaez) to revise the employee handbook template (member-only benefit – free to download) to include sections and language specific to COVID-19.
We encourage our members to review many of the workplace safety programs we have in place to assist. Check out our page on COVID-19 Resources (https://piamidam.org/covid-19/). Some of these are member only access items. If you need help logging in, drop us an email here: info@piamidam.org
