Department Measures Related to the Corona Virus [UPDATED]

Information has been a bit scarce and there seems to be some confusion going on around the Department. We're just putting up this post wth the little that we currently know so that folks can utilize the comments section to share their concerns and comments about the measures the Town has taken so far.

Originally we had heard that if any employees got sick that it would be covered under worker's comp no questions asked to encourage people not to come to work sick and possily spread it. But the Mayor's email yesterday stated that if employees get sick they'd have to use their own accrued time off and provide proof to the Town that they were sick, we assume in the form of a doctor's note. I think that's a bad idea as people may come to work anyway to avoid using up their time off. Or they will be going to the doctor unecessarily even though they have mild symptoms as most with the virus do just to get a note, which could cause unnecessary traffic at Doctor's offices who should be focusing on more critical patients.

I'd like to see, at least for first reponders, that we just get covered under worker's comp if we get sick for the duration of this issue. Of course if you can prove you got sick at work you should be covered anyway, but I don't see how anyone can definitively prove that. Especially in a Town where they're so aggressive about worker's comp cases that they tried to deny coverage to employees who got run over by cars on duty by claiming they had pre-existing conditions.

The Mayor also stated that all Town buildings would be closed to the public, but as of today the lobby of our building is still open to everyone. We're not sure if that policy will apply to us or not.

We've seen other area PDs instituting policies of allowing Officers to take reports for minor complaints over the phone instead of sending an Officer to someone's home unnecessarily. I think this is a great idea as it limits exposure in people's homes and is something that larger Departments do even under normal circumstances. So far we haven't heard anything about EHPD implementing this kind of policy.

We have been issued some PPE kits and there's disinfecting wipes in all the cars. Obviously this is a rapidly evolving situation and we expect the Admin is still working on getting more done in the coming days. We know they read this blog, so use the comments section to relay your opinions and concerns about what you think they're doing right, and what more you think they can do.

UPDATE 3-20-2020......

In the past week we've seen the Chief authorize Officers to respond to non emergency calls via telephone like many other Departments. We think that's a great move to limit exposure. The lobby at our Headquarters has also been closed to the public which is especially important at EHPD where our building layout requires crossing the lobby to get from one end of the building to the other unless you use the basement or second floor. We'd like to applaud the Admin for taking these measures.

Unfortunately the Admin refused to cover time off for employees who have been exposed saying that they will have to use their own accrued time for any missed work or be docked pay if they don't have any accrued time. Their opinion seems to be that they shouldn't have to cover you for free because if you get sick that's your problem. While we agree that under normal circumstances folks should use their own time, these are not normal circumstances and the Department should be doing everything they can to encourage employees who may have been exposed to voluntarily come forward and stay home without worrying about a personal cost to prevent the potential spread of sickness through the Department and community we are in contact with. This seems like trying to pinch pennies when one slip up could end up costing thousands, it just doesn't seem worth it.

The Chief did say that when this was all over they'd try to seek Federal or State reimbursement to get people their time off back, but that's not a sure thing and seems unnecessary when he could just choose to put anyone on Administrative leave without any red tape and then seek reimbursement for that later on. Of course that means the Town has to come out of their own pocket initially instead of ours and they'd take the hit if they cant get reimbursed down the line.

That's all we have for now. Stay safe out there everyone.