Not a lot has changed from yesterday. What does seem to be changing is a more organized and community-based approach on our County’s coordination of public agencies, cities and others.
As of today, there have been no positive COVID cases in Cowlitz County. The patient from Lewis County, who tested positive was released to their home quarantine today. There are a handful of pending tests at Peacehealth. Senior Staff continues to participate in daily meetings. Travis Walling and myself are participating with the Department of Emergency Management. I am working with their group of Public Information Officers. Today the County declared and is organizing an Emergency Operations Center and Travis will be working with that group. Marisa, Steve Taylor and Myself are participating with the County/City efforts. There are a handful of others who continue to collaborate on a state, federal, utility-wide level.
Senior Staff will continue meeting daily and sending communications out at the end of each day will continue to be the goal.
Please continue to take good care of your own health and that of your family’s as well, and we continue to encourage the practice of social distancing in your personal life, as we have instructed at work. Thank you for your cooperation in these uncertain and challenging times.
Key points:
- Make sure you are constant, continued communication with your manager or supervisors.
- This is a unique and dynamic situation, please be patient with us. Questions will arise and we anticipate there will be a variety of unique circumstances to resolve while implementing this authorization.
- Full-time employees will be granted 80 hours of supplemental leave; part-time employees will be granted 60 hours of supplemental leave to be used in case of COVID-19 illness for yourself, caring for someone you reside with, or caring for your child due to school closure until alternate care can be arranged. The supplemental leave time allotted may be adjusted based on governmental direction.
- Keep in mind this is evolving and we are working daily to answer the multitude of questions and scenarios as they arise
- Being proactive and protecting our employee’s livelihood continues to be our number one priority
- The authorization does not require a doctor’s note to utilize the leave or return to work, indicating the PUD is reliant on honorable use of the benefit.
- If an employee exhausts the supplemental leave then the other pre-existing leave benefits will apply.
- In addition, the authorization includes paid administrative leave in case the PUD elects, or is mandated, to proactively increase social distancing to prevent spread of COVID-19, or in other words, require working from home.
- In the case of paid administrative leave, each employee will be required to work from home, be ready to receive work assignments, and be fit for service during the normal work shift, as applicable.
- Application of this authorization is strictly for the COVID-19 pandemic and establishes no future precedent.
- The duration of the authorization is unknown at this time. When the PUD determines the COVID-19 risk has past, the authorization and benefits will terminate.
Cowlitz PUD Blog 