EEOC: Employers cannot require COVID-19 antibody testing for employees returning to work – By Jessica Guynn (USA Today) / June 18 2020
Employers cannot require coronavirus antibody testing for employees returning to work, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in guidance issued Wednesday.
Employers can test workers for COVID-19 under the Americans With Disabilities Act. They can require workers to wear masks and have their temperatures checked without violating federal law, according to the EEOC, which polices workplace discrimination.
Antibody testing looks for signs in the blood that a person developed antibodies to fight the virus, meaning that person was exposed to the virus. Antibodies are the body’s way of remembering how it responded to an infection so it can attack again if exposed to the same pathogen. Scientists are not sure whether having antibodies means people are immune to COVID-19. They don’t know if someone with the antibodies can pass the virus on to someone else.
“Please note that an antibody test is different from a test to determine if someone has an active case of COVID-19 (i.e., a viral test),” the agency said in its updated guidance.
Continue to article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/06/17/reopening-economy-employers-covid-19-antibody-tests/3209028001/
