Ok, then please move on.
The employee will still qualify for no-cost testing because they would truthfully answer âyesâ to the following pre-screen question: âAre you seeking a test to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 for future travel, work or recreation (according to CDC guidelines)?â And/or this one: âAre you seeking a test to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 after being at a place where social distancing was not possible?â Either will qualify the tester for the no-cost test at CVS.
Employers do not care where the test is obtained, we only need the result. Our employees in some states, including Florida, claim it is difficult to get a testing appointment at CVS. I have no idea of that is true.
No doubt thatâs true - the burden may be on the employee to schedule those weekly tests and turn in the result in a timely fashion and thatâs going to be more difficult in some states than others.
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They will qualify for a free test administered at CVS, but not free at-home rapid tests (which is what many people are using to satisfy these requirements, whether for work or school).
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Interesting that at-home tests satisfy the requirement, as they arenât monitored by a third-party. Would it be easier in that case to lie or fake the test result? Not sure how this works.
Yes, it is easier to lie with at home tests. It was a compromise we felt we had to make. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
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Some schools and workplaces have live monitors watch the self swab and test card/result via video.
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As you can expect, monitoring is both expensive and difficult for employers, hence most going to the vax only policy.
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Does anyone know about the federal vaccinate mandate and local governments? I am guessing it is not required since schools are not required under the mandate. But what if the local government administers construction contracts using federal funds? I was wondering if that counted as being a contractor for the federal government.
My employer has said zilch about the mandate. I know they do not want to mandate anything, but would if required by the feds. I assume theyâve got their peeps figuring this out now, but who knows at this point.
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OkâŠgot an email update from our state union president. Anyone hired prior to Sept 27 can choose weekly testing. They donât need an exemption to the vaccine.
Anyone hired after sept 27 is required to get the vaccine. No weekly testing option unless they qualify per their district for a medical or religious exemption.
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My son called quite a few CVS locations when he needed a test for travel and had no luck finding a test. He called our PCP and was told he couldnât get tested if he didnât have symptoms. He tried other suggestions with no success. Luckily, when he landed in Portugal on his way to France, they accepted his vaccination card from Beirut (he had to convince the employee since she was leery of the cardâs validity). He didnât have to do anything in Paris since heâd already entered the EU.
So what happens if an employee canât find a test every week?
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Wonât that be interesting. I think it would good if they had to take vacation time until they can be tested. Might change some minds!
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not sure about cvs, but our suburban community has plenty of places available for testing, many with same-day appts available, or even drive thru.
Not true in our area, unfortunately. We even checked on the state CDC website.
My daughter and her boyfriend needed to get tested last week due to prolonged exposure to someone who was tested positive the next day. They had a very hard time getting tested. The only appointments at CVS and similar were several days out. I guess this would be ok for work testing as long as you could plan ahead. My daughter and her bf ended up at an urgent care place and had to wait several hours for the test. Thankfully they were both negative. Itâs still hard to find testing in some parts of the country.
sry to hear, ML. My wife had plenty of symptoms on Thursday adn was able to make an appt online and get tested at a drive thru within the hour. (It was open until 9 pm.)
I was wondering the same thing, and my D might well find out! Her employer just mandated weekly testing for all employees due to low vaccination among the student population at the urban high school where she works. This requirement applies regardless of vax status and despite mandatory masking. The school isnât providing the testing - all must schedule their appointments with an outside clinic or pharmacy and submit the test result. Fortunately, sheâs been able to get this done at the primary care clinic next door to her work, and apparently itâs ok to go during regular work hours so that helps for scheduling. The concern is that our state has had a significant spike of recent infections with an order of magnitude larger than what went on in TX this summer so overall demand for Covid testing will probably increase in coming weeks. She wonât be able to take time-off and her funding completely depends on hours worked. Oh - and she is vaxed. Still, in our suburban area (a hassle to get to from her apartment but still a decent Plan C) the PCR tests at least are available so no one is particularly worried about running out of testing access. My D is neither viewing this requirement as unfair to her, nor thinking that only the unvaxed should be âpunishedâ with regular testing on their own time. Instead, she and her colleagues understand the public health motivation behind this additional burden. The sociological issue - why some populations are vaccine hesitant - is considered a separate matter requiring education, patience and sensitivity, even though, really, itâs the primary reason why my D must now hunt down a Covid test every week, despite having followed all the rules and protocols, and why she might find herself experiencing financial risk should she not be able to provide a negative test. I guess she just figures that hey, itâs pandemic so Life isnât going to be perfect even for the relatively more privileged.
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Employees who are unable to provide current test results are prohibited from coming to work. They can use PTO if they have it. We do accept home tests, so perhaps they should buy some now just in case they need to use them.
Or they could just vaxxed.
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I would never go to a school that would force me to get vaccinated. Even my mom said she wonât take it nor will support a school that forces.