COVID-19 Action Plan
ISTAR JEWELRY LLC
Effective March 10th, 2020
Updated April 29th, 2021
Daily Preventive Action
● Employees and visitors will have their temperature checked upon entering the facility.
o If an employee or visitor’s temperature is above 100.4o F , they will be sent home immediately
● Employees and visitors must always wear a mask in the facility covering their nose and mouth.
o Masks should be without exhalation valves or vents and be worn correctly covering the nose and mouth in accordance with CDC guidelines.
▪ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wear-cloth-face-coverings.html
o If an employee or visitor refuses to wear a mask, they will not be permitted in the facility.
● Employees and visitors will be asked to submit to symptom screening.
o Employees are encouraged to utilize electronic symptom screening available on smartphone apps such as COVID Alert NJ and required to show “Green” status to security/screening personnel upon entry.
o If an employee or visitor at any time exhibits or reports any symptoms of the virus (ie. fever (a rise in temperature above 100.4o F) or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea) they will be sent home immediately.
▪ If leaving premises due to symptoms/exposure, individuals are expected to continue to social distance, practice hand and cough hygiene, and wear masks covering the nose and mouth from the building to their mode of transport.
● One employee is allowed in a cubicle at a time. No more than two employees are allowed in an office at a time. Conference rooms should have no more than 6 people at a time, with no less than 6 feet of distance apart from each other.
Company’s Obligation
● The Company’s obligation is to provide a clean, safe, and virus free working environment.
o Masks, rubber gloves, antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes are available for all employees.
o The facility is cleaned during and the end of each shift.
o Employees can request to have their temperature taken at any time.
o Employer will distribute memos and fact sheets to employees and staffing agencies as needed.
o Postings will be placed in English and Spanish for COVID-19 awareness and proper hygiene.
o New and Temporary employees entering the facilities will be asked if they had traveled to another country or quarantined state within the last 30 days. If they traveled within the last 30 days, their start date may be placed on hold.
o Employer will institute staggered shifting during breaks/lunches to prevent crowding and decrease risk of exposure.
o Depending on the employee’s department, job duties, and management approval, the employee may have the option to work from home.
o Circumstances such as school closings, city/county shutdowns, affecting the employee and their family will be accommodated for remote work, pending the employee’s department, job duties, and management approval.
o If the employee cannot work from home, the time will be unpaid.
▪ They also have the option to use accrued unused PTO, if available.
▪ The Employee may be eligible for FFCRA pay, please contact HR regarding eligibility.
▪ Employees who work less than 32 hours can file unemployment. The state of New Jersey determines all unemployment claims.
Employee’s Obligation
● The Employee is expected to be transparent with their employer regarding any COVID-19 circumstances.
o If an employee was exposed to COVID-19 or has COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms, they must notify Human Resources immediately.
▪ The employee will be mandated to a quarantine period regardless of symptoms.
● If notified by the State/Local Health Department, Employee must notify company of dates of isolation or quarantine.
● If an employee lives with someone who is in isolation due to COVID-19, this employee is prohibited from returning to work, and will be treated the same as the employee in quarantine.
● The employee may be eligible for PTO under FFCRA paid Family Sick Leave that does not count against their existing iStar PTO and or sick leave, please contact HR regarding eligibility.
● Employees are expected to wear masks (without exhalation valve or vents) correctly covering the mouth and nose at all times in the facility, in accordance to CDC guidelines
o https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wear-cloth-face-coverings.html
● Should employees be unable to wear masks during mealtimes, employees must maintain adequate social distancing and keep conversations to a minimum to prevent spread of respiratory droplets.
● Employees should cover their mouth and nose when coughing/sneezing with tissue or into their elbows and practice good hand hygiene afterwards.
● Employees should wash hands frequently with soap for at least 20 seconds, in accordance to CDC guidelines.
o https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
● Employees should avoid unnecessary contacts such as handshaking, hugs, and keep a reasonable distance from others at all times, including at lunch and breaks time.
● Employees are expected to socially distance during mealtimes and follow designated socially distanced seating.
● The facilities will continue business as usual unless state/federal/CDC guidelines change.
o Should they change, the employer will continue to make their best faith efforts to ship out product timely, without interference.
If an Employee Travels
● The company strongly discourages all non-essential travel at this time.
o Essential travel would include for example:
▪ Individuals traveling to and from the state for work.
▪ Individuals traveling to and from the state for medical reasons, including individuals providing comfort and support to a patient.
▪ Military personnel traveling to the state by order or directive of a state or Federal military authority.
▪ Individuals traveling to comply with a court order, such as child custody.
o If travel is unavoidable, employees should consider getting tested with a viral test (not an antibody test) 1-3 days before the trip and again 3-5 days or later after the trip.
▪ If employees test positive, they should self-isolate for at least 10 days and should postpone travel during that time.
▪ If employees test negative, they should quarantine for a full 7 days after travel.
▪ If testing is not available (or if the results are delayed), travelers should quarantine for 10 days after travel.
o For employees who travel internationally, they are encouraged to refer to CDC travel/testing guidance prior to and after their travel. Recommendations for travel/testing/quarantine may depend on current CDC Risk Assessment Level for COVID19 which can be found on:
▪ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html#travel-4
● However, should an employee travel, a quarantine period is mandated for anyone who is returning from out of the country, or traveling outside of the state of NJ beyond the immediate region (New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.)
● Anyone visiting the facility must tell Human Resources about their abroad traveling history within the last 30 days.
● Anyone visiting the facility must have their temperature taken prior to entering the facility. Daily preventative action protocol follows.
● Vendor and customer visits are strongly encouraged to be conducted remotely, approval for inbound and outbound in person visits will be determined on a case-by-case basis and be contingent upon vaccination status and negative COVID-19 testing for all parties. All parties will still be expected to adhere to infection control guidelines regardless of immunization status, including social distancing, hand hygiene, and proper mask wearing.
● Employer will not prohibit employees and temporary employees from taking personal foreign trips.
o The employee should expect to be in quarantine after the trip.
o The employee shall register their itinerary as much as possible to Human Resources. (i.e which airlines/flight number, city, restaurants, and any public spaces visited, etc.)
If an Employee is Exposed to COVID-19
o Exposure, as defined per CDC guidelines, is any close physical or non-physical contact within 6 feet of an infected individual for a cumulative duration of 15 minutes or more within a 24 hour period, starting from 2 days prior to infected individual’s illness onset or 2 days prior to positive specimen collection.
● They must notify Human Resources/Supervisor, quarantine at home, and comply with all contact tracing efforts.
● The employee may be eligible for PTO under FFCRA paid Family Sick Leave that does not count against their existing iStar PTO and or sick leave, please contact HR regarding eligibility.
● The employer will follow all CDC guidelines in the event of an exposure within company grounds and make all efforts to notify exposed individuals of exposure and the need to quarantine/test.
● Their employment will not be penalized, and they will be able to return to work after their mandated quarantine. The return date will be based on the CDC guidelines and/or Health Department.
● The Employer will thoroughly sanitize workspace in which exposure occurred.
o *Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and are no longer symptomatic/infectious do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months as long as they do not develop symptoms again. People who develop symptoms again within 3 months of their first bout of COVID-19 may need isolate/quarantine and be tested again if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms. *
If an Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19
● They must notify Human Resources/Supervisor immediately, isolate at home, and comply with all contact tracing efforts.
● The employee may be eligible for PTO under FFCRA paid Family Sick Leave that does not count against their existing iStar PTO and or sick leave, please contact HR regarding eligibility.
● The employer will follow all CDC guidelines in the event of an employee infected with COVID-19.
● Their employment will not be penalized, and they will be able to return to work after their mandated quarantine. The return date will be based on the CDC guidelines and/or Health Department.
● The employee’s workspace will be thoroughly sanitized.
o *Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and are no longer symptomatic/infectious do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months as long as they do not develop symptoms again. People who develop symptoms again within 3 months of their first bout of COVID-19 may need isolate/quarantine and be tested again if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms. *
When an Employee Returns After Quarantine/Isolation
o Isolation, as defined per CDC guidelines, relates to the separation of a person or group known or reasonably believed to be infected with COVID-19 away from those who are not infected to prevent spread of disease.
o Quarantine, as defined per CDC guidelines, relates to the separation of a person or group known or reasonably believed to be exposed to COVID-19 but not yet symptomatic from others who have not been exposed to prevent possible spread of disease.
● They can return to work after Isolation If:
o If Mild Illness:
▪ 10 days have passed since their symptom onset, AND start of recovery, defined as, resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications [Ie. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil)] within the past 24 hours, AND improvement in respiratory symptoms.
● *Loss of Taste/Smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation
o If Severe illness (Requiring Oxygen and Hospitalization)/Or if Employees has a weakened immune system:
▪ Employees may need to stay in isolation for longer than 10 days after their symptoms first appeared (possibly up to 20 days), length of isolation will be based on healthcare provider/health department guidance.
o And/or upon a positive antibody test, or a negative COVID-19 Test at least 10 days after symptom onset (RT-PCR/Rapid Antigen Test)
● They can return to work after Quarantine:
▪ Modified 10 day quarantine without testing: Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily symptom monitoring (residual post quarantine risk 1-10%)* OR
▪ Modified 7 day quarantine with testing: When diagnostic testing resources are sufficient and available, quarantine can end after day 7 if diagnostic specimen test is negative (test must occur on day 5 or later) and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before time of planned quarantine discontinuation, but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than day 7. (residual post quarantine risk 5-12%)*
o Persons undergoing modified quarantine may discontinue quarantine given that the following criteria are also met:
▪ They exhibit no clinical evidence of COVID-19 as noted by daily symptom monitoring during the entirety of quarantine up to the time at which quarantine is discontinued; AND
▪ They continue to monitor daily symptoms through Day 14 post exposure; AND
▪ They are expected to adhere strictly all recommended mitigation strategies (correct and consistent mask use, social distancing, hand and cough hygiene, environmental cleaning and disinfection, avoiding crowds, ensuring adequate indoor ventilation, and self-monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19 illness).
o Individuals are advised that if any symptoms develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact healthcare provider, employer, and or local public health authority to report this change in clinical status.
COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance:
● As vaccine availability and eligibility expands, iStar strongly encourages all eligible and able employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
● Information regarding vaccine eligibility by state can be found in the following state websites:
o New York: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/Public/prescreener
● Employees are expected to inform their supervisors/managers beforehand of planned absences if their vaccine appoints falls on a workday.
● Employees experiencing post-vaccine symptoms that prohibit them from performing their normal work duties will be expected to notify their managers/supervisors.
● Any absence related to vaccine scheduling/post vaccine symptoms may be eligible for coverage under FFCRA paid Family Sick Leave, which does not count against the employee’s existing iStar PTO and or sick leave, please contact HR regarding eligibility.
Vaccinated Employee Guidance:
● Per CDC Guidance, individuals are considered fully vaccinated under the following conditions:
o 2 weeks after their 2nd dose in a 2-dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines
o 2 weeks after single dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
o If it has been less than 2 weeks since completing your vaccine series, you are NOT fully protected.
● All employees that are fully or partially vaccinated should continue to adhere to infection prevention measures outlined above and including:
o Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing.
o Wear masks, practical physical distancing, frequent handwashing, cover all coughs and sneezes, self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
o Avoid medium and large sized in-person gatherings.
o Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
● Fully vaccinated individuals should still watch for symptoms of COVID-19, especially following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
o If symptoms develop, all people, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate and be clinically evaluated and test for COVID-19 if indicated.
● Fully vaccinated individuals who are exposed to COVID-19:
o Fully vaccinated individuals in low density work settings who are exposed to COVID-19 do not need to quarantine, be restricted from work, or be tested following exposure, but are still expected to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following exposure.
o However, for fully vaccinated employees in high density work settings, testing (but not quarantine) is still recommended following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
● Regardless of vaccination status, all employees with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 exposure are expected to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following exposure and are expected to isolate and be clinically evaluated should symptoms of COVID-19 arise.
● All vaccinated or partially vaccinated employees will be asked to provide proof of vaccine records to Human Resources.
o Employees will be asked to submit vaccine records to Human Resources through the company’s vaccine record submission form: https://forms.gle/98T5vfmUURDEN6eH9
o All collected information will be protected under HIPAA guidelines and be solely used in the company’s contact tracing/employee health and safety efforts.
● Fully Vaccinated Employees and Travel:
o Fully vaccinated employees should still follow CDC’s recommendations for travel safety including:
1. Wearing mask to cover their nose and mouth.
2. Stay 6 feet away from others and avoid crowds.
3. Wash hands often and use hand sanitizer.
o For fully vaccinated employees who travel domestically, per CDC guidance:
1. Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to get a COVID-19 viral test before or after domestic travel, unless testing is required by local, state, or territorial health authorities.
2. Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to self-quarantine following domestic travel.
3. Fully vaccinated individuals are expected to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, isolate and get tested if they develop symptoms.
o For fully vaccinated employees who travel internationally:
1. Fully vaccinated employees who travel internationally should continue to follow CDC’s recommendations for traveling safely and get tested 3-5 days after travel.
2. Due to rise of variants, and varying infection rates and rates of immunization in international communities, iStar, at this point, continues to require all employees, regardless of vaccination status, who return from international destinations to get COVID-19 testing via RT-PCR on day 5 of return and quarantine for a full 7 days.
a. Should symptoms develop within the quarantine period or results of COVID-19 RT-PCR testing be positive for COVID-19, employees are expected to isolate and follow local/state guidance and guidelines outlined above in employees undergoing isolation.
b. Employees may return to work should they remain symptom free and have completed 7 full days of quarantine and have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test.
COVID-19 Testing:
● In partnership with MetPath Laboratories Inc, iStar is able to schedule drive through COVID-19 testing for employees at the MetPath Laboratories, located at 322 US 46 Parsippany, NJ.
● Employer will schedule testing for employees that choose to get tested, through MetPath Laboratories Inc, when needed and on a case-by-case basis when needed. This frequency of testing is subject to change should cases and infection rates in the workplace and local communities’ change.
● iStar strongly encourages all employees to seek out testing services when clinically appropriate including (list not all inclusive):
o Potential exposures
o Active symptoms of COVID-19
o Pre and post travel testing (domestic/international)
● For more information on COVID-19 testing, scheduling for testing, please contact HR@stanleycreations.com.