Guidance for Business Owners and Employers in Jones County

Jones County Public Health urges local business and employers to follow social distancing guidelines in accordance with guidelines issued by local, state, and federal partners in order to prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19.

Employers can implement strategies to limit exposures and prevent the spread of respiratory illness:

• Actively encourage sick employees to stay home
• Emphasize respiratory etiquette (cover coughs and sneezes) and hand hygiene
• Perform routine environmental cleaning
• Review, update, or develop workplace plans for leave polices and ensure flexible leave policies for staff who need to stay home to care for others
• Allow employees to work from home and if possible; plan for extended working from home
• Cancel non-essential work travel, conferences, and in person training
• Implement social distancing for those at work:
  • Increase physical space between onsite workers
  • Stagger work schedules
  • Limit in-person meetings
  • Limit and reduce sharing of office equipment where possible including phones, keyboards, etc.

A public hotline has been established for Iowans with questions about COVID-19. The line is available 24/7 by calling 2-1-1 or 1-800-244-7431.

For the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 and best practices for employers, visit: https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus/Business-and-Organizations.