COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates & Resources for City Employees

As Durham, the state of North Carolina, and our entire country face the unknowns of COVID-19, the City’s top priority is to maintain essential services for our community while protecting the health and safety of our residents and employees.

This page will continue to serve as a resource for City of Durham employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing guidance for both on-site and remote work.

LATEST STATUS Updates for Employees

COVID-19 Policies & Guidance

  • For Fully-Vaccinated Employees: Effective July 22, fully-vaccinated employees are no longer required to wear masks while working indoors; however, mask use is still recommended when interacting with the public. See the revised guidance on mask use for fully-vaccinated employees (PDF).
  • For Unvaccinated Employees: Unvaccinated employees are required to continue wearing masks indoors unless they are alone in a closed office. See the revised guidance on mask use for unvaccinated employees (PDF).
  • For All Employees: Apart from the unique indoor mask use requirements for fully-vaccinated versus unvaccinated employees detailed above, employees should continue following all policies and guidance detailed on this page, regardless of their vaccination status.

Employee Work Status

  • Working On-Site: A number of employees have been asked to return to on-site work in preparation of both the July 22 City Council hybrid work session and a full-scale reopening of public-facing services at City Hall and other City facilities on July 26. Learn more about what to expect from the upcoming reopening (PDF).
  • Flexible Work: The City will roll out an official flexible work policy later this summer. In the meantime, departments are encouraged to support flexible work options for their employees whenever possible. Learn more about what to expect from the upcoming flexible work policy (PDF).
  • Changes to Work Status: As a rule, any employee whose work location is expected to materially change will be provided at least 30 days notice whenever possible. Some exceptions may apply. If you have questions about your work status, please consult with your supervisor.

Vaccines

  • Eligibility: As of March 31, ALL City employees are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. 
  • Reporting Your Vaccination Status: If you are fully vaccinated and have not yet submitted a copy of your completed vaccine card to HR, you can do so by filling out this form. While not required, reporting your vaccination status could qualify you for a number of special incentives for City of Durham employees (see below for more details).
  • Incentives: Employees who are able to verify that they are fully vaccinated by filling out the form indicated above may be eligible for paid time off, wellness credit, and weekly prize drawings. Learn more about vaccine incentives for City of Durham employees (PDF).
  • Following COVID-19 Policies & Guidance: Apart from the unique indoor mask use requirements for fully-vaccinated versus unvaccinated employees (PDF), employees should continue following all policies and guidance detailed on this page, regardless of their vaccination status. 
  • Vaccine Requirement: The COVID vaccine is not mandatory for any City employee.

This Week in Positive COVID-19 Cases & Quarantines at City of Durham

221 total positive COVID-19 cases at the City since March 2020 as of July 19, 2021
5 new positive COVID-19 cases at the City in July as of July 19, 2021.
Number of quarantined City employees at the beginning of each week. 2 for week of July 19, 2021.

City Updates

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WORKING ON-SITE

As the City prepares to resume all in-person services, it's important that on-site employees feel safe and understand what is expected of them in this new work environment.

Overview of Guidance for On-Site Employees

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Face Coverings & Masks
Fully-vaccinated employees are no longer required to wear a mask while working indoors. Unvaccinated employees are required to wear a mask indoors unless they are alone in a closed office. Employees do not have to wear a mask while working outdoors, regardless of vaccination status. Read more about guidance for face covering and mask use (PDF).

View a comprehensive overview of all workplace protocols for on-site employees (PDF). Failure to follow these protocols could result in disciplinary action under the revised Safety Program policy (PDF).

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Illness
Employees should stay at home if they are feeling ill, even with symptoms unrelated to COVID-19. Read more about our temporary employee wellness policy (PDF).

View a comprehensive overview of all workplace protocols for on-site employees (PDF). Failure to follow these protocols could result in disciplinary action under the revised Safety Program policy (PDF).

Cleaning of Personal & Shared Workspaces
The General Services Department will continue to thoroughly clean and disinfect common areas and surfaces, but employees are responsible for cleaning and disinfecting their personal work areas and equipment. Read more about employee cleaning protocols (PDF).

View a comprehensive overview of all workplace protocols for on-site employees (PDF). Failure to follow these protocols could result in disciplinary action under the revised Safety Program policy (PDF).

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Sharing Vehicles 
While in a City vehicle with one or more passengers, unvaccinated employees must wear a face mask at all times. Read more about guidelines for sharing a vehicle (PDF).

View a comprehensive overview of all workplace protocols for on-site employees (PDF). Failure to follow these protocols could result in disciplinary action under the revised Safety Program policy (PDF).

Returning to the Office FAQs

  1. Cleaning & Air Quality

If you are returning to in-person work, we recognize that you may have questions about what the City is doing to keep employees and visitors safe during COVID-19. When it comes to creating a safe and healthy working environment, our General Services team has the answers.

Read General Services' answers to your FAQs about cleaning protocols, air quality, and more (PDF).

COMPLETE Policies & Guidance for City of Durham Employees

Please click through the following tabs to review the City of Durham’s official COVID-19 policies and guidance for employees:

  1. HUMAN Resources
  2. RISK MANAGEMENT
  3. purchasing
  4. Technology Solutions


Policies:

Temporary Employee Wellness (PDF)
Please Note: This policy is in the process of being updated to reflect the new mask guidance (PDF) that went into effect on July 21, 2021.

Temporary Leave & School Closures (PDF)

Overview of Leave Options:

All employees hired before May 1, 2020 have been granted 5 weeks of COVID leave. Relaxed sick leave is an additional option for eligible employees managing certain COVID-19 related issues. Otherwise, normal leave request procedures should be followed at this time. Read more about leave policies (PDF).

COVID Leave table with timeline version 2

Midday Moment Presentations: 


11/4 Midday Moment: Download all slides from the 'COVID-19: City of Durham Data & Workplace Protocols' presentation (PDF).

8/26 Midday Moment: Download all slides from the 'Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) & Temporary Shared Leave Donations for School Closures Policy' presentation (PDF).

7/22 Midday Moment: Download all slides from the 'Virtual Learning, Modified Schedules, Daycare Closures & the City of Durham Workforce' presentation (PDF).

Temporary HR Policy Timeline

Current Policies

Policy Name
 Effective Date
 Last Updated
 Expiration Date
Please Note: This policy is in the process of being updated to reflect the new mask guidance (PDF) that went into effect on July 21, 2021.
 March 13, 2020
 March 25, 2021
 TBD (Will be extended beyond June 30, 2021)
Temporary Leave & School Closures (PDF) (NEW VERSION) August 24, 2020 March 25, 2021 TBD (Will be extended beyond June 30, 2021)

Expired Policies

Policy Name
 Effective Date
 Last Updated
 Expiration Date
Temporary Leave & School Closures (PREVIOUS VERSION)
 March 30, 2020 May 31, 2020 May 31, 2020
Temporary Premium Pay March 30, 2020 June 19, 2020 June 19, 2020
Temporary Personal Travel March 13, 2020 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2020
Temporary Business Travel
 March 13, 2020
 September 30, 2020
 September 30, 2020
FFCRA Emergency Sick & FMLA Leave
 April 1, 2020
 December 31, 2020
 December 31, 2020
Temporary Shared Leave Donations for School Closures
 August 24, 2020
 June 30, 2021
 June 30, 2021
Temporary Severe Weather
 November 23, 2020
 June 30, 2021
 June 30, 2021

City Employees & the COVID-19 Vaccine

All City employees are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID vaccine is not mandatory for employees, but the City is encouraging all employees to get vaccinated if they are willing and able to do so.

COVID-19 Vaccine Employee FAQs

  1. Am I Eligible?
  2. Other FAQs

Yes! ALL City of Durham employees are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

On March 31, Group 4 vaccination opened up to "other" essential workers. Any City employee who was not previously eligible for vaccination under Groups 1, 2, or 3 would be considered an essential worker and would therefore be eligible for Group 4 vaccination.

COVID-19 Vaccine Resources

Link to vaccinefinder.org
Link to find a Vaccine Location on NC.gov
Link to vaccine information on CDC.gov
Link to Vaccine information on NCDHHS.gov
Link to Vaccine information on DCoPublicHealth.org


Communication With Employees

The City uses a variety of methods to communicate with employees, but this page and the channels below will be the primary means of communication during the COVID-19 pandemic:

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City Week

City Week, our weekly employee newsletter, is your best source for reliable, up-to-date communication from the City during COVID-19.

All City of Durham employees are signed up to receive City Week each Monday to their DurhamNC.gov email address. If you are not receiving City Week to your email and would like to, please email Hannah Watts.

You can also sign up to receive City Week by text alert.

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PAPA

PAPA (Public Affairs Priority Alerts) is the City’s emergency notification system used to provide time-sensitive information and emergency updates to employees, including those related to COVID-19 and its impact on City employees. You can expect to receive PAPA alerts via email, phone, and/or text depending on your personal settings.

To learn more about PAPA view the PAPA How-to Guide (PDF), including how to update your contact information on page 7.

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Human Resources

Visit Human Resources’ homepage for HR Connect hours, additional HR resources, and more.

Additional Resources

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