Raleigh County Commissioners have modified the county’s Covid-19 quarantine policy.
According to Raleigh County Attorney Bill Roop, who spoke before the commissioners during their Tuesday, January 18, meeting, the paid quarantine time for county employees will now be five days, down from 10, from the date that the individual first tests positive.
This new policy is based on updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which state that a person is no longer considered contagious after five days following a positive Covid-19 test, Roop explained.
Additionally, he stated that the county notes a difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees.
“Vaccinated employees will be paid while they are off, while unvaccinated employees will not,” Roop said, noting that this policy has been adopted by multiple counties throughout the state.
“That’s allowed from the federal government all the way down,” Roop said.
There are exceptions to this vaccination requirement for those who have medical and religious exemptions, Roop continued. Those exceptions must be on file with the individual’s employer.
This new policy became effective on January 18.
Commissioners also adopted a policy for emergency absentee voting during their regular meeting.
Raleigh County Chief Elections Officer Tammy Richardson spoke before the commission stating that this policy allows those who have been hospitalized three days prior to the election, or who have entered a nursing home, to vote through an emergency absentee ballot.
Ballot commissioners will deliver an emergency absentee ballot to those individuals so they may vote, Richardson said of the new policy.
The next meeting of the Raleigh County Commission will take place on February 1, at 10 a.m.
