Daily Health Certification, training video required for all employees (including student employees)

Dear Skidmore Employees,
 
Earlier this year, the New York State Legislature passed the NY Health and Essential Rights Act (HERO Act). This law requires all private employers in New York, including Skidmore College, to adopt a prevention plan to protect against the transmission of future airborne infectious diseases in the workplace that can be activated when the Commissioner of Health designates an airborne infectious disease as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a risk of harm to the general public. Last week, the Commissioner of Health designated COVID-19 an airborne infectious disease under the NY HERO Act. This designation is in effect until Sept. 30, 2021.
 
What this means is that Skidmore College will be activating its Airborne Infectious Disease Prevention Plan immediately. The College has adopted the New York Department of Labor’s Model Airborne Infectious Disease Prevention Plan for Private Education (the “Plan”). While this designation will require the College to make some changes to current operations, the NY HERO Act and Commissioner of Health’s designation generally requires employers to abide by federal, state, and local guidance and mandates with respect to COVID-19.
 
Thanks to the College’s steadfast commitment to a safe fall semester, the College is already following the most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and New York Department of Health (NYDOH). The College has established a detailed set of guidelines for how we will live, work, learn, and socialize together this fall semester, including guidance for masking, social distancing, gatherings, and dining. The College’s guidelines under its current “yellow” status will remain in effect during the NYS Commissioner of Health’s designation of COVID-19 as an airborne infectious disease under the NY HERO Act.
 
In addition to the guidelines in place during the current yellow status, the College will again require all employees to complete a Daily Health Certification starting Tuesday, Sept. 14. Employees must complete the Daily Health Certification at the start of each workday and monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 throughout the work day. Any employee who experiences symptoms of COVID-19 is required to contact their health care provider and follow their instructions, including referral for a COVID-19 test.
 
Please review Skidmore College’s full plan, now added to the Employee Handbook on the Human Resources website.
 
The College has also developed a training video that includes a review of the College’s plan, the New York Department of Labor’s Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Standard, the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, how the disease can be spread, and the exposure controls the College has put in place to prevent transmission of COVID-19 on campus. Please watch the video during work hours this week and notify your supervisor when you have completed this requirement.
 
If you have any questions after reviewing the plan and viewing the training video, please contact the HR Hotline at 518-580-5801 or hr@skidmore.edu.
 
Please note, the NY HERO Act and Skidmore College policy prohibits discrimination and retaliation if an employee reports violations of the Act; reports airborne infectious disease exposure concerns; or refuses to work if the employee reasonably believes there to be unreasonable risk of exposure to an airborne infectious disease.
 
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the College’s efforts to keep our community safe.
 
Sincerely,
 
Sarah Delaney Vero
Interim Human Resources Director
Assistant Director of Employment & Workforce Diversity