ELIZABETHTOWN — Essex County is giving its administrators emergency powers to order workers to go home if they appear to have the swine flu.
On Monday, the County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to confer send-home authority to county department heads who believe employees have the H1N1 virus strain, commonly called the swine flu.
"If any department head or his deputy reasonably believed any employee has H1N1 virus or similar, he would have the authority to send that person home," County Attorney Daniel Manning III said.
"That person would remain home for a 24-hour period after the symptoms subside."
TIME QUESTIONS
A controversy centers on how those with no time off coming would be compensated by the county, however.
"Anybody who has been ordered not to come to work would use their regular, approved sick time," Manning said.
"If they didn't have that, they would use their approved vacation time, personal time, comp time.
"Those employees who do not have any of that will be able to jump into the next year and use that."
But Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava (R-Moriah) said they might not be able to legally pay those who have no time off coming.
"I don't believe you can give a benefit for unearned time. If they don't have any time, they'll be off the books" with no pay.
SICK DAYS BANK
Manning said he'd check the law, but County Manager Daniel Palmer said the county already has a bank of sick days that workers can use when they've exhausted their own sick time.
"Whether the (state) comptroller will approve it or not approve it, I don't think is an issue," Palmer said. "When they use the sick-bank time, that's time they don't actually have."
He said he'll look into whether workers with swine flu who have no time coming can use sick-bank time. That time is donated by workers who don't use all of their sick days in a year.
Manning said health-care professionals believe that after seven days the illness has run its course.
"The general consensus is this is an emergency situation. We don't want people coming to work and infecting anyone else."
EMERGENCY PLANS
The way the swine flu is spreading, it's almost certain they'll have some cases this winter, Essex County Emergency Services Director Donald Jaquish said.
"We're trying to be proactive before this flu hits, and we believe it will."
He said they're developing emergency plans on what to do if large numbers of correction officers at the County Jail or 911 dispatchers are sick with the H1N1 virus.
He said the swine-flu strain that's circulating is not a serious one, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"It seems to be a mild flu. It's not a volatile strain. They feel the person will get over it."
County Department of Social Services Commissioner John O'Neill said their plan may have some issues, but the objective is to contain the spread of the virus.
"The idea is to plan for the worst, hope for the best. The CDC recommends that all employers plan for the worst. If we have rolling outages, as much as half the workforce could be out for six months at a time."
TEMPERATURE
Palmer said all department heads will be provided with criteria for determining if someone might have the swine flu.
"The key is usually whether they have a temperature. If their temperature is over 100 (degrees), they have some type of flu. The swine flu comes with very high temperatures."
E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
Local News
H1N1? You may get sent home
Essex County empowers managers to issue order
- Local News
-
-
Ticonderoga faces severe school cuts
The district is starting its new budget process almost $2 million in the hole. Officials are seeking public input on the problem.
-
One injured in Plattsburgh house fire
A female suffered second- and third-degree burns in a fire at her South Catherine Street home early Sunday.
-
Plattsburgh's Sweet Adelines sing music of the heart
Sweet Adelines spread message of love on Valentine's Day with yearly singing valentines.
-
Love between the lines
Dr. Nell Irvin Painter of New Russia and Plattsburgh State's Dr. J.W. Wiley share historical and current viewpoints on interracial loving, American-style.
-
NCCS wins CVAC cheerleading competition
NCCS wins first place for the eighth time in nine years
-
Tentative contract reached with officers
The deal with New York state would cover the 2,800 members of the New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association who typically work at specialized state centers such as the Sunmount Development Disabilities Services Office in Tupper Lake.
-
Lookback: Feb. 13-19
News stories from around the region from 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago this week.
-
Of Interest: Feb. 13, 2012
Peru Central School Board to hold budget discussion; Dannemora to discuss highway post; Beekmantown School Board invites budget input; Willsboro School Board to discuss policies; Chazy School Board to discuss budget; SLCS Board to appoint clerk pro-tem; Keeseville Zoning Board cancels meeting; Elizabethtown-Lewis School Board to work on budget.
-
Gourds' shapes create interesting canvas
Georgette Bacon's gourd art is on display through March 10 at Foothills ARTSociety in Malone.
- February 12, 2012
-
NCCS wins CVAC cheerleading competition
NCCS wins first place for the eighth time in nine years
-
One injured in Plattsburgh house fire
A female suffered second- and third-degree burns in a fire at her South Catherine Street home early Sunday.
-
Plattsburgh's Sweet Adelines sing music of the heart
Sweet Adelines spread message of love on Valentine's Day with yearly singing valentines.
-
Ticonderoga faces severe school cuts
The district is starting its new budget process almost $2 million in the hole. Officials are seeking public input on the problem.
-
Tentative contract reached with officers
The deal with New York state would cover the 2,800 members of the New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association who typically work at specialized state centers such as the Sunmount Development Disabilities Services Office in Tupper Lake.
-
Attempted-murder trial set
The case against Robert J. McCann, who is charged with trying to kill his former girlfriend at a secluded Westville site, begins Tuesday in Franklin County Court.
-
A historic battle for interracial marriage
Forty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all remaining state bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia.
-
Fireworks to close weekend carnival
The final day of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is filled with activities and events. INCLUDES VIDEO
-
Arts and economic development discussed
A success story about a theater in Glens Falls underscored the importance of the arts at a presentation put on by Partnership for Community Development in Plattsburgh.
-
Ticonderoga faces severe school cuts
- Recent Article Comments
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
