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

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 UPDATES

The Temporary Business Travel Policy has been extended through August 31, 2020. The Temporary Personal Travel Policy has expired. Learn more.
The Temporary Employee Wellness Policy has been extended through December 31, 2020. The policy has also been revised to include more up-to-date information about what types of leave can be used at this time. Learn more.
The slideshow on FFCRA and other leave options presented during the July 22 Midday Moment is now available as a PDF document. View here.
As of Tuesday, July 21, City Hall has officially reopened to the public in a limited capacity. During this initial reopening, City Hall will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more.

City Updates

Policies & Guidance for City of Durham Employees

Whether working at home or out in the community, all of us are adjusting to the "new normal" of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Durham has implemented a number of temporary policies and other official guidance to ensure employees can continue to do their jobs during this time in a safe and effective manner.

Overview of Guidelines for Employees

Graphic of person wearing a face covering

1. Face Coverings & Masks
All employees must wear a face covering when in common areas of City facilities or anywhere social distancing is not possible. Read more.

2. Social Distancing
Social distancing should be practiced at all times. In the limited instances where social distancing is not possible, a face covering must be worn. Read more.

3. Illness
Employees should stay at home if they are feeling ill, even with symptoms unrelated to COVID-19. Read more.

4. Wellness Screening
All employees must complete a wellness screening before reporting to on-site work. The form should be answered truthfully, as your responses will determine whether or not you are cleared to come into work. Read more.

5. Cleaning of Personal Workspaces
The General Services Department will be thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting common areas and surfaces, but employees are responsible for cleaning and disinfecting their personal work areas and equipment. Read more.

Graphic of calendar with date checked off

6. Taking Leave
Because liberal leave is no longer in effect with the expiration of the Temporary Leave & School Closures Policy, employees should follow normal leave policies when requesting time off to self-isolate, care for dependents, etc. Eligible employees may also qualify for COVID and/or FFCRA leave. Read more.

Graphic of a house with a home office inside

7. Sharing Vehicles
No more than two individuals are permitted to share a City vehicle at one time. When sharing a vehicle, masks must be worn at all times. Read more.

8. Teleworking
Employees are permitted to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic at the discretion of their supervisor and if job requirements allow. Read more.

9. Virtual Collaboration
Microsoft Teams and Zoom are the only TS-sanctioned tools for virtual collaboration. Read more.

Complete Policies & Guidance

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

HUMAN Resources
RISK MANAGEMENT
purchasing
Technology Solutions

HUMAN Resources

Policies:

Temporary Employee Wellness

Temporary Business Travel

FFCRA Emergency Sick FMLA Leave

Additional Resources:

Download all slides (PDF) from the ’Virtual Learning, Modified Schedules, Daycare Closures & the City of Durham Workforce’ presentation.

RISK MANAGEMENT

COVID-19 Wellness Screening Requirements

Guidance on Mask Use

Guidance on Multi-Passenger Vehicle Use

purchasing

PPE & Cleaning Supply Request Procedure:

The Finance Department’s Purchasing Division has implemented a new process to coordinate the distribution of COVID-related PPE and cleaning supplies. Purchasing will operate a centralized supply distribution point out of City Hall, and will distribute supplies to each department on a weekly basis based on requests received by specific designees in each City department and division.

All requests for PPE and cleaning supplies must go through these designees. Please see your department/division designee to receive supplies from the central store at City Hall.

Technology Solutions

Standards for Virtual Collaboration (COMING SOON)

Work from Home Resource & Service Requests (COMING SOON)

Guidance on At-Home Use of City-Issued Hardware (COMING SOON)

IT Acceptable Use Policy*

IT Security Policy*

* Note that these are permanent policies that, while applicable in a work from home environment, are not specific to COVID-19. Employees are encouraged to review these policies to ensure that all remote work falls in line with City IT policy.

Temporary HR Policy Timeline

Current Policies

Policy Name	Effective Date	Last Updated	Expiration Date
Temporary Employee Wellness	March 13, 2020	July 14, 2020	December 31, 2020
Temporary Business Travel	March 13, 2020	July 27, 2020	August 31, 2020
FFCRA Emergency Sick FMLA Leave	April 1, 2020	April 1, 2020	December 31, 2020

Expired Policies

Policy Name	Effective Date	Last Updated	Expiration Date
Temporary Leave & School Closures	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

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:

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.

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.

Human Resources

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

Additional Resources