Ebola Preparedness

How should an employer respond when it learns that an employee is planning a trip to West Africa to visit family? What if other employees refuse to come to work because they fear that the returning employee may have been exposed to Ebola Virus Disease? Recognizing that the healthcare setting presents special challenges related to infection control and clinical care, how can any employer prepare in advance for situations like those described above?

Based on extensive news media coverage of the spread of Ebola in West Africa, and the recent transmission of the virus in the United States, many employers are scrambling to answer these questions. The right response depends on several factors and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. But employers can get out in front of these issues and reduce potential liability by taking some proactive steps: