Guidance for Healthcare Personnel with Suspected or Confirmed Viral Respiratory Infection

If you require immediate medical attention, call 911.

If you require non-urgent medical advice, evaluation, or treatment, please contact your primary care provider (PCP) or other personal healthcare provider.

Employees must notify their manager or supervisor of absence from work following their department’s call-in procedures. 

Healthcare personnel with a suspected or confirmed viral respiratory infection should be restricted from working on site until:

• At least 3 days have passed since their symptoms began (or from their first positive test if they do not develop symptoms) AND
• They are fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, AND
• Symptoms are improving, AND
• They feel well enough to return to work.

They should wear a surgical mask upon return to work until at least the end of day 7, where day zero is the day that symptoms began (or from their first positive test if they do not develop symptoms).

This guidance is intended to apply to respiratory viruses including but not limited to COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza, rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, and additional adenoviruses, endemic coronaviruses, and enteroviruses. This recommendation is NOT intended to apply to other viral respiratory infections including measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19, and viral conjunctivitis.

Employee Health staff cannot answer questions regarding contagion pay. Please review the Reassignment/Absence to Prevent Contagion Due to Workplace Exposure policy, or contact Human Resources at 585-ASK-URHR or ASK-URHR@ur.rochester.edu with questions.