City urges all employers to do same to prepare for end of quarantine
Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard says he understands the importance testing its frontline employees for the COVID-19 virus, which is why testing continues for the city’s frontline employees including police, fire and other city workers who interact directly with the public.
Brainard
Brainard encourages business owners and employers to do the same as COVID-19 testing becomes more available and Indiana prepares to end the statewide quarantine in May.
The City has worked with a local testing facility to have 680 employees and family members tested. Of those, 11 showed positive results. Those who tested positive were required to be quarantined for a two-week period. In order to return to work, the employee must have two COVID-19 tests come back negative.
Some who tested positive did not have any symptoms prior to testing and still have shown no signs of the virus. Others became hospitalized for long periods of time and said they felt sicker than they have ever been.
No employees are currently hospitalized. One of the firefighters that had been in the hospital is back at work and has even gone on to donate his plasma to help others suffering from COVID-19.
As Carmel continues testing the city’s frontline employees, all employers are urged to do the same in preparation for the end of quarantine. (Photo provided)
The City is paying $150 per test, which currently totals more than $101,000. Th cost per test is far less than what would be spent on an extended stay at a hospital intensive care unit, which is estimated at $100,000 per patient.
“It’s important to remember that our goal is to save lives. We want to protect our employees as well as their families and those who come in contact with our public safety crews and others providing city services in the community,” said Brainard. “This is not about cost. It is about taking responsibility to protect as many lives as possible. When we look back at this time 20 years from now, we want to be judged as being on the right side of a historically tragic pandemic.”
Testing of frontline city employees will continue and will likely be a requirement of those rejoining the workforce after having worked from home during the stay-at-home order.