COVID-19 Return to Work Guidelines for Healthcare Providers

Core Return-to-Work Criteria

Healthcare providers should not return to work until they have completed at least 10 days of isolation after symptom onset, have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without antipyretics, and have experienced improvement in other symptoms 1, 2
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine recommends a minimum 10 days of isolation from symptom onset for healthcare providers before returning to work 1, 2
Healthcare providers must be fever-free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications before returning to work 1, 2
Improvement in respiratory and other symptoms, such as cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue, is required before healthcare providers can return to work 1, 2

For healthcare workers with severe COVID-19 or those on immunosuppressive medications, a case-by-case approach is required with potentially longer isolation periods 2
Viral shedding continues beyond 10 days in severe cases, and consideration should be given to requiring negative RT-PCR testing before return to work in high-risk settings 2
Surgical healthcare workers should remain isolated for at least 2 weeks until negative RT-PCR is obtained 2

Daily verbal screening and temperature checks at the start of each shift are recommended to identify potential COVID-19 carriers 3, 4, 5, 1
Screen for fever, chills, cough, and difficulty breathing in the past 24 hours, as well as contact with known COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days 3, 4, 5
Change out of work clothing, scrubs, or uniforms at the worksite before going home to prevent family exposure 3, 4, 1
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) based on exposure risk level, and use face masks in all patient care areas 3, 4, 1
Maintain physical distance of at least 2 meters from others when possible, and clean hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with >60% ethanol 3, 4, 1

COVID-19 should be recognized as an occupational disease for healthcare workers, and any healthcare worker who develops COVID-19 after workplace exposure should be presumed to have an occupationally acquired disease 6, 7
Workers required to self-isolate must continue to maintain wages and benefits, and contacts of infected workers must be traced, tested, and isolated 7