'I can think of few things more reckless than requiring an employee who shows symptoms of COVID-19 or who has tested positive to come into a work environment where they will be exposed to coworkers and patrons,' he said. This includes: placing the employee on a 14-day paid leave so that they can self-isolate, whether or not they are symptomatic appropriate cleaning of the worksite and performing contact tracing,' DeAngelis told Business Insider.īiscone believes employers should ultimately err on the side of caution when it comes to worker and public safety. 'When we are informed that an employee has tested positive or is presumptive positive for COVID-19, we implement our infectious disease protocols that follow CDC guidelines. Similar incidents continued to occur at the Arkansas customer service associate's CVS location, but each time they were reported, staff either did not receive a follow-up or were told nothing could be done.Īnd after a coworker had tested positive for the virus and was placed on leave, the Arkansas associate said that the company did nothing - no follow-up, cleaning, or contact tracing – to ensure other workers were not infected. When staff reported the incident to HR and their district lead, they were simply told to clean what she had touched.

However, two of her partner's coworkers tested positive for the coronavirus and were asymptomatic.Īnother CVS employee, a customer service associate based in Arkansas, told Business Insider the company had repeatedly ignored possible exposure incidents in-store, even after staff made numerous calls to the COVID-19 hotline.Ī woman who told staff she'd tested positive for COVID-19 picked up her medications in May through the drive-thru, then later entered the store to talk with several staff members about her medications. While taking unpaid leave to comply with the state-mandated quarantine order, the Missouri technician's COVID-19 test results ultimately came back negative. 'Corporate's reasoning was that since we are wearing masks, no customers would be exposed,' the Tennessee technician said. Still, a Tennessee CVS technician told Business Insider that at the end of July, employees in her district were told to report for work even if they tested positive for COVID-19, as long as they were asymptomatic.

While debate continues over testing asymptomatic people for COVID-19, experts agree anyone who tested positive for the disease can infect others. All of the CVS employees were granted anonymity after Business Insider verified their employment status, due to fear of retaliation. But some employees tell Business Insider that the pharmacy chain has also put worker and customer safety at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.īusiness Insider spoke with three CVS employees in multiple states who said that the company actively instructed staff to come to work after potential exposure to the coronavirus, actions that go against company policies and CDC guidelines. It often indicates a user profile.ĬVS raised its full-year profits forecast in August after announcing it was in talks with the US government to administer COVID-19 vaccines. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

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