Bradenton Beach Arms Itself Against Swine Flu...

As reported by the Anna Maria Island Sun:

With the H1N1 swine flu still in the headlines, one city has taken steps to ensure anybody with flu-like symptoms doesn’t share them in the workplace.

City department heads met with Mayor Michael Pierce a week earlier to go over a resolution that City Attorney Ricinda Perry drew up addressing communicable diseases and the city commission passed it Thursday.

The clerk’s office came up with the idea when two public works employees with school-age children expressed concern over the spread of Swine Flu, which began earlier this year and continued throughout the summer.

Swine Flu is different from seasonal flu because it is spread all year, not just in the colder weather months. While health officials say the mortality rate is lower than the normal seasonal flu, officials are concerned because there have been some deaths nationwide and several in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The resolution gives the mayor or any supervisor the power to order any city board or committee member, volunteer, independent contractor or city employee to go home if that person reports or shows signs or symptoms of a communicable disease.

That person will not be allowed to return to city facilities until he or she can furnish proof or certification from a doctor, hospital or clinic that there is no threat of a communicable disease.

Employees sent home will use sick time until that is exhausted, and then they may use vacation or personal days. The mayor is charged with having city facilities that are exposed to the sick employee cleaned and disinfected.

After it was passed, the resolution became part of the personnel policies and procedure employee handbook.