U. S. Now under Two Nationwide Public Health Emergencies

August 5, 2022

Yesterday the U. S. Secretary of Health and Human Services declared that a nationwide public health emergency exists due to an outbreak of monkeypox in several states. You can see the announcement here.

As expected, on July 15 the Secretary extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days. That announcement is here.

Due to these public health emergencies, Colorado employers are still required to provide employees with supplemental paid leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act. For more information, see my May 20, 2022, post (below).

Monkeypox cannot be transmitted in the workplace as easily as COVID-19. Monkeypox is not a new virus and the medical community is already familiar with monkeypox and how it is transmitted. The CDC has posted information on monkeypox here.

Although monkeypox is not as easily spread as COVID-19, employers may want to provide employees with information about the virus and should continue to encourage good hygiene practices at work, such as frequent hand washing, not sharing eating utensils or cups, and avoiding skin-to-skin contact. Employers should also review their leave policies and provide leave as appropriate.