Rhode Island says COVID-positive staff can return to work at hospitals and nursing homes to solve 'staffing crisis

[Lexy]

Rhode Island's Department of Health has said that hospital and nursing home staff who test positive for COVID-19 can return to work to solve a staffing "crisis" if needed.

A quarantine and isolation guidance updated by the state's health department on December 31 said there are no restrictions "with prioritization considerations (e.g., asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic)" in a crisis situation for vaccinated and unvaccinated staffers.

"Crisis staffing means there are no longer enough staff to provide safe patient/resident care," the memo said.

https://www.businessinsider.com/rhode-i ... ork-2022-1

[Momto2boys973]

Makes me glad I’m not a sick or elderly person in Rhode Island…
And makes me pray that any person they infect has a mild case, like the one I had. Because omicron is spreading like wildfire, and it’s not always a walk in the park. I was able to properly quarantine but if I knew I had given it to someone else and they weren’t that lucky, I couldn’t live with myself.

[Heyteacher]

I think that we are heading to the point where this will treated like your typical cold and flu season and people will be “encouraged” to stay home if sick but expected to show up regardless.

[Traci_Momof2]

I think it makes more sense that if they have tested positive but are asymptomatic or even recovering with mild symptoms, have them wear an N-95 and carry on. We can't continue to quarantine perfectly healthy people just because they've been exposed or test positive. We have to keep moving forward with life.

[scemily526]

my sister in Ct said the same thing for hospitals there too

[scemily526]

I think it makes more sense that if they have tested positive but are asymptomatic or even recovering with mild symptoms, have them wear an N-95 and carry on. We can't continue to quarantine perfectly healthy people just because they've been exposed or test positive. We have to keep moving forward with life.

how is someone who is testing positive for a contagious virus deemed ''healthy'' enough to go to work and expose others?

[Traci_Momof2]

I think it makes more sense that if they have tested positive but are asymptomatic or even recovering with mild symptoms, have them wear an N-95 and carry on. We can't continue to quarantine perfectly healthy people just because they've been exposed or test positive. We have to keep moving forward with life.

how is someone who is testing positive for a contagious virus deemed ''healthy'' enough to go to work and expose others?

Maybe I should back up and add that I think it's ridiculous to test people in the first place who have no symptoms of illness. But I'm guessing these asymptomatic yet positive people are under some sort of testing mandate otherwise they would never know they are positive to begin with.
But where I'm at there are no testing requirements that I'm aware of so I assume asymptomatic yet positive people are going to school and work all the time.

[EarlGrayHot]

Oh, no! If anyone has a contagious disease, and especially if it's COVID they do NOT need to go into work or school! It can still be spread that way! So no, that does NOT make any sense. People who are sick with ANYTHING should stay home and not go into work to spread it around. People in Rhode Island have lost their minds to think that.

[Momto2boys973]

Probably yes. And they’re the ones spreading it. Hence why some places require testing.
DH has no idea where he got, I know he gave it to me. This thing seems to pass along just by looking at someone who has it, it’s that contagious. Maybe if he had gone to a place that required testing, we would’ve known sooner. For us, it was nothing. DH had some muscle pain and fever. I didn’t even have a fever and the only reason I took the test was because his was positive and I thought my dry throat may be a symptom. He also thought that if mine came back positive he could move back into our room instead of being quarantined in my youngest’s room
But we’re healthy, not in a high risk age group and vaccinated. DH is slightly overdue for the booster, I can get it at the end of this month. So it was not only mild for us, I actually felt worse after my flu shot. I’ve had worst colds in my life. But people who are already sick, or are elderly or unvaccinated aren’t that fortunate. So do I understand that it may be a necessary measure because the alternative is no care? Yeah, I honestly do. But is it a good measure? No. It can turn seriously bad very soon and I hope it doesn’t, because as I said, if I’d had given it to someone else and they weren’t as lucky as me, I would feel terrible.

I think it makes more sense that if they have tested positive but are asymptomatic or even recovering with mild symptoms, have them wear an N-95 and carry on. We can't continue to quarantine perfectly healthy people just because they've been exposed or test positive. We have to keep moving forward with life.

how is someone who is testing positive for a contagious virus deemed ''healthy'' enough to go to work and expose others?

Maybe I should back up and add that I think it's ridiculous to test people in the first place who have no symptoms of illness. But I'm guessing these asymptomatic yet positive people are under some sort of testing mandate otherwise they would never know they are positive to begin with.
But where I'm at there are no testing requirements that I'm aware of so I assume asymptomatic yet positive people are going to school and work all the time.

[Pjmm]

I think it makes more sense that if they have tested positive but are asymptomatic or even recovering with mild symptoms, have them wear an N-95 and carry on. We can't continue to quarantine perfectly healthy people just because they've been exposed or test positive. We have to keep moving forward with life.

how is someone who is testing positive for a contagious virus deemed ''healthy'' enough to go to work and expose others?

They’re not. But hospitals are desperate. And when you’re desperate, when people are overwhelmed, you do what you got to. The answer is get vaccinated and be cautious. But not everyone wears masks or vaccinates. So this is the result. The health care workers suffer.