Questions and answers for employers

Coronavirus - Question and answers for employers

1. What products should be used for hand disinfection?

We recommend the following alcohol-based hand sanitisers:

• Spirigel (Ecolab);
• Skinman Soft (Ecolab).

Both products are available in large volumes of 500 ml and in pocket versions of 75 ml or 100 ml.

Published on 13 March 2020

2. What kind of products should be used to clean high-touch surfaces?

We recommended the following products that kill bacteria and viruses to clean high-touch surfaces (desks, handles, table tops, telephone headsets, etc.):

• Meliseptol (Braun);
• Microzide (Schilke) – also available as wipes;
• Incidin Foam Oxy S (Ecolab) – also available as wipes.

Published on 13 March 2020

3. Does Medicover perform diagnostic tests as part of coronavirus prevention?

Medicover does not offer tests for coronavirus. Tests for coronavirus are performed only in specialised certified centres, such as:

• Narodowy Instytut Zdrowia Publicznego – Państwowy Zakład Higieny [National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene].

At the moment, these tests are not commercially performed at any centre.

Published on 13 March 2020

4. Can COVID-19 virus and bacteria be transmitted outside a living organism (human or animal), e.g. on the surface of items (machines, tools or workpieces) delivered from China?

As with other viruses and bacteria, 2019-nCoV can be transmitted outside a living organism. The mechanism is simple: by sneezing into your hands and not into a tissue, you transfer germs to other touched surfaces such as handles, handrails, telephones, etc.

However, it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces touched by infected individuals. According to the WHO, it can be assumed that 2019-nCoV behaves like other coronaviruses, which may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary depending on the type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment.

However, according to current knowledge and the official position of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, there is no risk of being infected by the virus through goods ordered from countries with coronavirus infections, including components from China or Italy.

Published on 13 March 2020

5. What should we as a company do when an employee reports a suspected coronavirus infection?

The employee should contact the Regional Sanitary and Epidemiological Station by telephone and follow their advice. 

Published on 13 March 2020

6. What to do with the place where the person who is a suspected case of coronavirus stays?

The place should be disinfected with surface disinfectants. Recommended active substances include the following:

• 70% ethyl alcohol for smaller items;
• e.g. 0.5% free chlorine solution for floors, depending on availability on the market.

The room should be thoroughly aired for about 10–15 minutes with the door closed immediately after the person suspected of being infected with coronavirus leaves the room.

Published on 13 March 2020

7. What kind of protective clothing should we buy in case strict regulations on entering the building where we work are introduced? In other words, what medical standard do protective coveralls, masks and gloves have to meet?

There is no need to wear protective coveralls in office buildings. They are only required at medical facilities and isolation wards where there is contact with coronavirus.

Customers are encouraged to use up-to-date materials on coronavirus for the employer. All recommendations and advice on steps to be taken and procedures to be followed when diagnosing coronavirus infections are available on the website of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate and on our website in the Files to download section.

Our general advice is to follow the same hygiene rules as for other infectious diseases or flu.

Persons who experience symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath and have returned from areas with ongoing virus transmission, e.g. China or Italy, should stay at home and contact a doctor through the Telephone Medical Advice +48 500 900 510.

Published on 13 March 2020

8. Is it possible to obtain a leave note for people who do not have symptoms of infection, but are worried about their health and thus do not want to go to work?

A ZUS ZLA leave note is a certificate of employee’s incapacity for work. A doctor makes such a decision based on information provided by the patient and analysis of medical records in the case of an e-visit. If the visit takes place at the centre, also based on a physical examination.

If the patient does not show any symptoms, the doctor has no grounds to issue a leave note (ZUS ZLA or ZUS e-ZLA).

Published on 16 March 2020

9.Is it possible for employers to make an internal decision to enforce a "quarantine" in their offices regardless of the state of health of their employees?

The decision on quarantine is made by the District Sanitary Inspector – this is an administrative decision. Quarantine is required in the case of persons meeting the epidemiological criteria (stay in the region of coronavirus transmission or close contact with an infected person).

Employers cannot make a decision on quarantine at their offices.

Published on 16 March 2020

10. What can employers do to improve the safety of their employees?

Employers can:

• allow their employees to work from home; if this is the case, employers should provide employees with the tools to perform their work;
• decide to temporarily suspend the obligation of their employees to perform work; if this is the case, employers shall bear the costs of such a decision;
• under the act of 02 March 2020 on special solutions related to the prevention and combating COVID-19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused by them (Dz.U. [Journal of Laws] 2020, item 374), employers may instruct their employees to work outside their permanent workplace for a fixed period of time if it is justified by combating coronavirus. 

Published on 16 March 2020

11. How can the patient get a paper leave note after an e-consultation and after obtaining e-leave note? 

Each patient has their account on zus.pl. In the Insured tab, there are all ZUS ZLA notes which can be viewed and printed out. The patient can download such a copy in electronic version/print/send the file to the employer.

Published on 16 March 2020

12. Will Medicover inform employers about suspected cases of coronavirus in their employees?

This is medical information. Acting in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act, we do not provide any personal information about our patients to the employer – including medical history details.

If a patient is diagnosed with coronavirus, the employer may contact the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station on the basis of their rights and an interview with the patient. 

Published on 16 March 2020

13. Should employees returning from abroad undergo periodic examinations earlier? Is the epidemic the basis for referring the employee for examinations?

The labour law defines precisely the rules for referring employees for preventive occupational medicine examinations (initial examinations, periodic examinations and check-ups). There are no regulations that provide for referral of an employee for examinations only because there is an increased risk of viral infections at a given time or in a given region. 

The regulations do not entitle the employer to refer an employee for medical examinations (in a situation where, for instance, an employee returns from the SARS CoV-2 transmission area and may cause a threat to other employees) without the employee’s consent if it does not coincide with the date of the next periodic examination. Such a person should not be referred for an occupational medicine examination.

Published on 16 March 2020

14. Will the patient always get a ZLA note through the Telephone Medical Advice (TMA)?

A doctor will issue a leave note only if there are medical indications to do so. If the reported health issue can be diagnosed through TMA and in the opinion of the doctor the patient does not require a physical examination or specialist examinations/tests to be performed, the doctor may issue an e-ZLA note.

Published on 16 March 2020 

15. Are e-ZLA notes issued only in the case of respiratory diseases such as a cold and flu, or also in the case of other diseases?

In the case of non-infectious diseases, the doctor may also decide to issue an e-leave note during a telephone consultation after taking detailed history from the patient and having reviewed the available medical records, including the history of issued leave notes.

Published on 16 March 2020