COVID-19 Information for Businesses

Clackamas County entered Phase 1 of opening on Saturday, May 23. The types of businesses that are able to open under this phase include:

• Dine-in restaurants, bars and distilleries
• Retail establishments in malls and shopping centers
• Personal care services such as salons, barber shops, massage parlors and nail salons
• Gyms and fitness centers

Each segment has guidelines they are advised to follow to ensure safe business operations. Those guidelines are available online, including necessary PPE.

• Provide information to all employees in multiple languages so they can be aware of and practice proper physical distancing, sanitization and face covering rules in the workplace.
• Train all employees in safety requirements and expectations at physical worksites.
• Review outbreak response plans and bring them up to date, or develop response plans if none exist.
• Support employees to stay home when ill. Even if they are not sure.

Covering your face, nose and mouth protects others; when others cover their face, nose and mouth they protect you.

• Employees, contractors and volunteers in Oregon are now required to wear face coverings at work.
• Businesses can also require customers to wear one to protect employees.
• Remember, some people can’t wear a face covering due to a health condition, age or ability. Face covering requirements do not apply in these cases.

Minimize the number of people in the workplace at one time. Physical distancing is our best tool to prevent the virus from spreading.

• Stagger work schedules.
• Allow teleworking when possible.
• Mark 6 foot spaces for customers to wait in line.
• Dedicate personnel to monitor physical distancing activities.
• Restrict use of shared spaces such as conference rooms and break rooms by limiting occupancy or staggering use.

Provide proper sanitization and protection tools.

• Face coverings, handwashing stations, hand sanitizer, disposable disinfectant wipes, gloves, tissues and wastebaskets in commonly used areas.
• Frequent cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.
• Install shields between employees and customers at service counters.
• Limit door handle use.
• Monitor air ventilation and equipment, consider improved ventilation measures.
• Restrict use of shared items or equipment and require disinfection of equipment between uses.
• Post signs with prevention measures (physical distancing, face covering, hand washing, etc.) in English and Spanish.

Encourage sick employees to stay home
Health experts recommend that employees with symptoms of acute respiratory illness stay home. Employees should not come to work if they have:

• Fever (100.4° F [38° C] or greater using an oral thermometer).
• Other symptoms like cough, vomiting, or diarrhea.

People should be without fever or cough for 24 hours without using fever reducing medicines like aspirin or acetaminophen before returning to work or school. This applies to everyone, not just people that have been tested for COVID-19.

Employees should inform their supervisor and stay home if they’re sick.

Separate sick employees from other employees
This is what the CDC recommends. Also, those with fever or acute respiratory illness symptoms should go home immediately:

• Upon arrival to work, or
• During the day, if symptoms develop while at work.

Know how to respond to employees after exposure or who are sick
Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should:

• Tell their supervisor.
• Refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.
• Contact Clackamas County Public Health: 503-742-5300

If an employee develops COVID-19 infection, employers should:

• Work with public health to determine which co-workers had close, prolonged contact with the ill employee that might put them at risk of exposure to COVID-19.
• Maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Employees who have had exposure to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should:

• Refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment. www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/php/risk-assessment.html
• Contact Clackamas County Public Health: 503-742-5300

Review your outbreak response plans and make sure they are up to date. If you do not have a plan, now is the time to develop one.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The Department of Labor can answer your questions about the details.

No business is required to open. If you have concerns about being able to safely provide service, or don’t have the required PPE, then opening must be delayed.

Unemployment Insurance benefits may be available to those who are on a temporary layoff. These benefits occur for employees whose employer stops operation for a short period of time, such as those being caused by the coronavirus. In these cases, where employees expect to be back to work in four weeks or less, they can get unemployment benefits and do not have to seek work with other employers. They must be able to work, stay in contact with you as their employer, and be available to work when you call them back to the job.​

Businesses that provide essential services or products can remain open during the COVID-19 event if they are able to maintain the 6-foot social distancing requirements as outlined by the Governor’s Executive Order

Closing a business is not a decision made by the county. Public Health officials conduct disease investigations of all confirmed cases and if there is a high risk to a workplace they will work directly with employers to ensure every precaution is taken to ensure the safety of their employees and the public.

This is a growing concern across communities and workplaces. If your workplace is operating essential services and practicing social distancing requirements you may continue to come to work. If you are an employee of a workplace and have COVID concerns you can contact Oregon’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA.)

Remember the following steps to protect yourself, your family and your co-workers.

• Maintain 6-feet of separation with others
• Wash your hands thoroughly
• Cover your mouth with a sleeve or elbow when you cough or sneeze
• If you begin to feel unwell, leave work and stay home 
• Stay home until you no longer have symptoms for at least 72 hours

Employees are being encouraged to contact Oregon OSHA to submit complaints of workplaces that are not following the Governor’s Executive Order for workplace social distancing requirements.

The State of Oregon is not taking action to suspend the plastic bag ban in Oregon. However, state officials have encouraged local government agencies not to penalize grocers for providing plastic bags to customers. Clackamas County does not intend to penalize businesses using single-use plastic shopping bags during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the public health evidence shows there is a low potential for exposure to COVID-19 from handling these sorts of bags, county officials are encouraging residents to self-bag, disinfect or launder reusable grocery bags whenever possible.

You can learn more by visiting the State’s Single-Use Bag Ban page.