Employers should follow certain protocols if they have workers coming from other countries and/or states during this pandemic. Agriculture, construction, and other seasonal workers will soon enter North Dakota for spring employment, and state agencies and associations urge them to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.
“Agriculture producers are ramping up for spring’s work and getting ready to get out into their fields. Many of these producers rely on H-2A workers and workers from other states to fill employment gaps,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “Producers who have workers arriving from other countries or states should follow proper procedures upon their arrival.”
“We encourage all employers who have workers coming into North Dakota from other states and countries to familiarize themselves with the North Dakota Department of Health’s Travel Quarantine Orders specific to their industry,” said ND Associated General Contractors Executive Vice President Russ Hanson. “Most importantly, we encourage everyone to exercise good judgment and be safe.”
The following protocols should be followed:
- From the time of arrival, workers should fill out the North Dakota Department of Health travel survey at health.nd.gov/travel-survey, have no contact with anyone in the community and quarantine for 14 days.
- The employer should provide them essentials while they are quarantined such as food, cleaning products, sanitizer, toothpaste, toiletries, etc.
- The employer should monitor the health and welfare of employees quarantined and ensure they are healthy before they are released to work.
- Everyone should practice every day preventative behaviors, such as staying home when sick, avoiding contact with sick people, covering coughs and sneezes, frequently washing hands with soap and water and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
“All employees arriving from out of state for seasonal work at Medora will enter a 14-day quarantine upon their arrival,” Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation President, Randy Hatzenbuhler said. “While quarantined, those employees will be paid their normal wage and will have meal delivery available to them.”