What Employees Need to Know About the Coronavirus
Refer to the Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQs) below to stay informed about the policies and procedures regarding the impact of COVID-19 on Montgomery County Government workers. As this is a rapidly evolving situation, guidance and policies may change without notice.
Click here for vaccination information, and click here for the Employee COVID-19 Testing website.
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Vaccination
- Looking for the latest information about getting vaccinated for COVID-19 in the County? See the County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) COVID-19 vaccine webpage and FAQs about the COVID-19 vaccine .
- Looking for information on the State's vaccination plan? See FAQs about the Maryland COVID-19 Vaccination Plan .
- Seeking general information about COVID-19 vaccines? See the Center for Disease Control's FAQs about COVID-19 Vaccination and Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines .
- Couldn't find what you were looking for? General questions about COVID-19 vaccines or the vaccination process can be directed to the State's call center at 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829). Questions about human resources topics only such as leave and workplace policies can be directed to the Office of Human Resources (OHR) mailbox at OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov .
- While COVID-19 vaccines are encouraged, the choice to receive a vaccine is voluntary.
- Employees are encouraged to make an appointment for Montgomery County-run clinics here .
- You may walk in to County-run clinics without an appointment.
- As of April 12, all Marylanders age 16 and older will be eligible for vaccination through all providers.
- MCG employees who reside outside of the County may choose to be vaccinated either in Montgomery County or in their home jurisdiction.
- For the latest leave and timekeeping guidance, visit the MCtime website .
Illness and Exposure
For more information about COVID-19 testing for MCG employees, visit the employee COVID-19 testing website here .
For questions or assistance, contact your department's COVID-19 testing coordinator. You can also call the COVID-19 Testing Helpline at 240-777-1755.
Click here to read the most commonly asked questions and answers about COVID-19 testing for MCG employees.
For questions or assistance, contact your department's COVID-19 testing coordinator. You can also call the COVID-19 Testing Helpline at 240-777-1755.
Click here to read the most commonly asked questions and answers about COVID-19 testing for MCG employees.
- Review the latest Employee Guidelines on What to Do If You Become Sick or Exposed to COVID-19
- If you have been directed to self-quarantine, even if you are not symptomatic, you must stay home.
- Follow the guidance given by your healthcare provider.
- Notify your supervisor that you were instructed to self-quarantine due to a presumed or confirmed positive diagnosis of COVID-19.
- Answer your supervisor’s questions regarding your movements and contact while at work.
- You must remain at home and may not return to your work site until you provide OMS with documentation from your healthcare provider clearing you to return to work.
If you are telework eligible, asymptomatic, and capable of working remotely during the directed period of self-quarantine, you may do so. Visit OHR's Telework Program webpage to learn more about how to apply for Situational Telework.
Important: OMS cannot answer questions related to leave. For the scenario described above, employees will be provided with COVID-19 Administrative Leave for the mandated self-quarantine period. For further details, please refer to the Time Reporting and Leave section below.
- Review the latest Employee Guidelines on What to Do If You Become Sick or Exposed to COVID-19.
- If you have been exposed to and/or in direct contact with a positive case of COVID-19, immediately call DHHS Disease Control at 240-777-1755 and follow their guidance.
- If advised to leave work, notify your supervisor by phone or email.
- You should also call your primary care physician (PCP). All three of our County’s medical providers offer telemedicine, and you are encouraged to use this service. If you do not have a PCP, you can go to an urgent care facility, but you should call ahead to provide them with advance notice so that they can take the necessary precautions to receive you. A list of other local health authorities is below in Your Resources below.
- Review the latest Employee Guidelines on What to Do If You Become Sick or Exposed to COVID-19
- Notify your supervisor that you are sick and are staying home.
- Contact your healthcare provider for guidance and remain in contact with your healthcare provider if your symptoms change. Notify your supervisor if your healthcare provider decides to send you for testing for COVID-19.
- Stay home until you have been cleared by your healthcare provider to return to work.
- If you have been absent for more than 15 work days, you must provide medical documentation from your medical provider to OMS indicating clearance to return to work.
- For more information on what to do if you are sick, please review the latest CDC guidance. You can also refer to the CDC’s guidance on symptoms and testing.
- If you are telework eligible and your symptoms are mild enough that you are capable of continuing to work remotely while you are sick, you may do so. Visit OHR's Telework Program to learn more about how to apply for Situational Telework.
To be considered fully recovered, you must meet the following criteria:
- At least 3 days (72 hours) must have passed since recovery, meaning:
- You have been free from fever for at least 3 days (72 hours) without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medications (e.g., cough suppressants). A fever is defined as 100.4°F [37.8°C] or greater using an oral thermometer.
- You have experienced improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath)
- At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
- You have documentation from your healthcare provider that you are ready to be released from quarantine.
- Notify your supervisor of your intention to return to work.
- Obtain documentation from your healthcare provider that you have successfully completed/been released from quarantine.
- Contact OMS by phone at 240-777-5118 or email at MedicalInfo.OMS@montgomerycountymd.gov to schedule a return to work appointment. Do not come to the clinic without an appointment. Provide OMS with a copy of the above documentation indicating you have been cleared to return to work. OMS will provide you with an approved Health Status Report (HSR), which you must give to your supervisor. OMS will also provide the HSR to the departmental COVID-19 POC.
- No. Effective June 6, 2021 COVID-19 Administrative Leave has been discontinued. Departments and employees received notifications on May 24. Employees who are on COVID-19 Administrative Leave or alternative assignments due to being high risk can be scheduled for onsite work effective June 6 at the department director’s discretion.
- If you are unable to work onsite due to a medical condition, you must submit medical documentation from your healthcare provider to OMS either via email at medicalinfo.oms@montgomerycountymd.gov or by fax at 240-777-5132.
- Important: OMS cannot answer questions related to leave. For further details, please refer to the Time Reporting and Leave section below.
Supervisor Guidelines
- Please review the Supervisor Guidelines on What to Do If An Employee Becomes Sick or Exposed to COVID-19 and What to Do If a Contractor Becomes Sick or Exposed to COVID-19 .
- In addition to the above guidance, supervisors should report any employee exposures to or diagnosis of COVID-19 as part of County work to CorVel (the County’s Third Party Claims Administrator) via the regular methodology.
- If an employee says they have flu-like symptoms, managers should not ask them to clarify to identify COVID-19, just take the information provided and report it. OSHA has defined the COVID-19 virus as a recordable illness, so this reporting is the methodology to start that process.
Can I ask high-risk employees on administrative leave who have been vaccinated to come back to work?
- Effective June 6, 2021 COVID-19 Administrative Leave is discontinued. Departments and employees received notifications on May 24.
- Employees who are on COVID-19 Administrative Leave or alternative assignments due to being high risk can be scheduled for onsite work effective June 6 at the department director’s discretion.
- When scheduling, please keep in mind employees may need to be reoriented to their workplace and new protocols.
- Employees who are unable to work onsite due to a medical condition must submit medical documentation from their healthcare provider to OMS either via email at medicalinfo.oms@montgomerycountymd.gov or by fax at 240-777-5132.
Workplace Safety, Commuting and Travel
- Every night, cleaning services staff disinfect surfaces. Janitorial staff will only wipe down surfaces that are clear of obstacles.
- Employees who must work onsite are encouraged to regularly move items (computer monitors, phones, desk calendars, etc.) from surfaces so that the entire surface can be accessed. Employees should continue to clean keyboards, mice, laptops, and phones.
- Learn more about cleaning and disinfection procedures during COVID-19 here.
- That depends on how many members of the public and employees use a workspace. On average, employees should clean high traffic surfaces two to three times a day. If you do not work in a high traffic area, please use your best judgment and common sense in determining how often to clean.
- Please remember that cleaning resources will be harder to acquire during this period, so use resources appropriately.
- Learn more about cleaning and disinfection procedures during COVID-19 here.
- No; social distancing protocols are no longer in effect.
- Beginning Monday, June 7, 2021, the wearing of masks (facial coverings) in most County offices and facilities is voluntary. Unvaccinated persons are highly encouraged to wear a mask (facial covering). Masks are still required in:
- Child care settings
- Correctional facilities
- Health care settings, such as:
- Health and Human Services (HHS) Crisis Center
- HHS Dental Clinic
- HHS HIV Clinic
- HHS TB Clinic
- Occupational Medical Services (OMS) / Fire and Rescue Occupational Medical Services (FROMS) Clinic
- Homeless shelters
- Public transportation
- Schools
- Summer camps
This change is consistent with current State of Maryland policy and CDC guidance.
- Yes. Meeting room capacities have returned to pre-pandemic guidelines.
- Until further notice, and to meet the demand of a hybrid workforce, all OHR training classes will continue to be held virtually until further notice. OHR’s Training Department is offering a selection of virtual training courses to all Montgomery County Government employees. Find out more here .
- MCG Employees and Contractors: AccessMCG ePortal
- Enrollment Instructions: Enroll in a Class
- The latest guidance is currently under development and will be posted here as soon as possible.
Here is the latest guidance:
- You will be notified by supervisors and/or managers, as directed by the CAO, with guidance from the County Health Officer.
Time Reporting and Leave
Here is the latest timekeeping guidance:
- Timekeeping Guidance for the Pay Period: June 6 - 19, 2021
- For prior timekeeping guidance, visit the MCtime website .
For assistance, review the applicable MCtime job aid:
- How to Add the Telework Reason Code to Your Timecard (HTML)
- How to Add the Telework Reason Code to Your Timecard (JAVA)
- For additional MCtime job aids, visit the MCtime website .
Click on an Image below to Access these Helpful Resources
Organization
Resource
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
https://montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS/RightNav/Coronavirus.html (for general information)
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HR/Benefits/EmpCoronavirusTesting.html (for employee testing)
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HR/Benefits/EmpCoronavirusTesting.html (for employee testing)
DHHS, Public Health - Communicable Disease and Epidemiology Office
240-777-1755
Note: Call volume is high despite an increase in staffing to cover the lines; you may need to leave a voicemail for a return call.
Note: Call volume is high despite an increase in staffing to cover the lines; you may need to leave a voicemail for a return call.
Maryland Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Note: This is not intended to be a general COVID-19 information line. MC311 has basic information. Disease Control is intended for specific infectious disease reporting and assessment.
Note: This is not intended to be a general COVID-19 information line. MC311 has basic information. Disease Control is intended for specific infectious disease reporting and assessment.
OHR Telework
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HR/Telework/TeleworkProgram.html
Employees: Apply Online
Contactors: Situational Telework Application
Telework Guidance During COVID-19
Note: Contact the IT Help Desk for technology assistance: 240-777-2828.
Employees: Apply Online
Contactors: Situational Telework Application
Telework Guidance During COVID-19
Note: Contact the IT Help Desk for technology assistance: 240-777-2828.
OHR OMS
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HR/OccupationalMedicalServices/OMS.html#1
Reporting COVID-19 related Illness/Exposure:
Reporting COVID-19 related Illness/Exposure:
COVID-19 POCs must fill out an online OMS COVID-19 Department Report every time an employee in their department:
- Has been exposed to an individual who has tested positive with COVID-19
- Has been quarantined by a Medical Provider
- Has been tested for COVID-19 and is awaiting results
- Has tested positive for COVID-19
COVID-19 POCs must use the online COVID-19 Department Reporting Application and attach all supporting documentation (if received) within 24 hours of notification/exposure. Please note that fillable form will no longer be accepted however previously reported cases using the fillable form do not need to be resubmitted via the new system.
MCtime Event-related Timekeeping Guidance
Employee Assistance Program
COVID-19 Closures and Service Modifications in Montgomery County
Need Proof of Essential Employee Status?
Fill out the COVID-19 Travel and Child Care Form for Employees and have your supervisor sign it.
