Most recent COVID-19 updates specific for State employees
When on-site, please continue to follow work rules (updated Oct. 3, 2022), including voluntary mask use, staying home when sick, and washing those hands. We have made a number of upgrades to State facility ventilation to further protect our teams from COVID-19.
To reduce your own chance of severe disease and to protect those around you, please strongly consider getting vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.
According to the U.S. CDC, getting vaccinated will help protect you against the worst consequences of the disease. Our state employee health plan pays for the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters, and COVIDcare Administrative Leave is available for the 2022 calendar year to get a vaccine or a booster, or when recovering from the side effects of a dose.
For more information on getting vaccinated, visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness' vaccination clinic listing or the State's vaccination Website or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.
Even if fully vaccinated and boosted, the U.S. CDC says breakthrough infections “are expected.” Don’t be discouraged by this. “Vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death” and boosters are 90 percent effective in preventing hospitalization from Omicron, according to the U.S. CDC.
COVIDcare is available through 2022. Use COVIDcare paid leave to get a vaccine or a booster, or when recovering from the side effects of a dose. On your timesheet, please select “COVIDCARE ADMIN” and comment with “approved by HR.”
Mask use is optional, regardless of vaccination status. Voluntary mask use is welcome any time, and it is recommended when you have been around anyone who has been sick. Some people have family members who are immunocompromised; others may want to respect co-workers who are concerned about communicable disease. Whatever the reason, we want you to have no hesitation when wearing a face mask in our work environment.
Review the U.S. CDC’s advice about masks and determine what type of mask is right for you depending on your circumstances.
If or when reporting to work on-site, work rules require that you stay home if you are sick, For calendar year 2022, most State employees have been fronted sick leave for just these type of occurrences.
To prevent spread to others, the U.S. CDC recommends testing for COVID-19 if you are feeling unwell or have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
There are a number of testing sites in Maine, and over-the-counter self-tests can be used at home or anywhere.
The Federal government recently launched CovidTests.gov, and every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests.
Members of the State Employee Health Plan through Anthem can get reimbursed for the costs of over-the-counter diagnostic COVID-19 tests, so long as the tests are used when experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Please retain your receipt and test kit, and submit via this form for reimbursement.
State employees participating in the State’s Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) may also purchase tests and certain other COVID-19 related items with those funds. For more information, contact the HCFSA plan administrator: www.padmin.com or 1-800-688-2611 (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 10:00pm).
Governor Mills and The Rockefeller Foundation launched a pilot project to mail 125,000 free COVID-19 tests to Maine households – check to see if your zip code is eligible and place an order through the Project ACT website.
Work rules require that you alert your HR Director should you test positive for COVID-19 via a home or other diagnostic test.
Workers who test positive for COVID-19 should follow U.S CDC guidance. Currently, that guidance is those who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and, if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines), follow that by 5 days of masking when around others to minimize the risk of infecting others.
HR will provide current isolation requirements for those who test positive.
HR will continue to ensure that any affected facilities are cleaned per U.S. CDC guidance.
HR will post weekly case rates for State employees to access if desired.
Please familiarize yourself with what to do if you are infected with COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
Per the U.S. CDC, a positive test result means that you have an infection and should isolate and inform your close contacts to avoid spreading disease to others.
For calendar year 2022, most State employees have been fronted sick leave for just these type of occurrences. Additionally, if you or a loved one needs to quarantine or isolate as a result of COVID-19, we are once again offering eligible State employees 80 hours of COVIDcare paid leave in calendar year 2022. On your timesheet, please select “COVIDCARE ADMIN” and comment with “approved by HR.”
Re-entry date
Employees were notified on April 5, 2022, that transition away from the emergency period of telework would occur between June 6, 2022 and October 3, 2022. A heartfelt thank you to the many State employees who worked on-site all along, those who transitioned previously due to operational need, and those now transitioning. We appreciate you!
On-site cases of COVID-19 have been reported to the following Departments for the week indicated below, and cleaning has been conducted as required by U.S. CDC guidelines. This listing does not include cases in locations where confidentiality would not be preserved. Updated for the week of October 4, 2022.
| Department | 10.4.22 |
| Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry | 3 |
| Administrative & Financial Services | 5 |
| Corrections | 4 |
| Defense, Veterans & Emergency Management | 0 |
| Economic & Community Development | 1 |
| Education | 0 |
| Environmental Protection | 2 |
| Health & Human Services | 27 |
| Inland Fisheries & Wildlife | 0 |
| Labor | 0 |
| Marine Resources | 0 |
| Professional & Financial Regulation | 0 |
| Public Safety | 0 |
| Transportation | 10 |
| Secretary of State | 0 |
| Treasurer of the State | 0 |
| Attorney General | 0 |
| State Auditor | 0 |
| Public Utilities Commission | 0 |
| Baxter State Park | 1 |
| Workers' Compensation Board | 0 |
Resources
Employee wellness resources:
- Navigate challenging work and life situations with Living Resources
- Access all information about Maine's COVID-19 response, including resources near you
- Wellness information for State of Maine health plan members
Teleworking resources