There are three options to return to work after being sick:

1. Get clearance from your doctor. A doctor return to work note will allow you come back to work immediately.
2. Symptom free for 72 hours, without medications. This means you can return to work after 3 consecutive days of having no fever or any other COVID-19 related symptom, without the use medication.
3. Wait 10-days from the onset of your symptoms, then return to work and wear a face mask. You will provide your own home face mask in this case, to prevent the spread of droplets. If you have a fever, this is not an option.

We consulted the Hood River County health authority to help develop this policy and each option has a reason. The first, has your doctor make the decision. The second option allows enough time to pass so you aren’t transmitting the disease to others and the third, implies that you didn’t have COVID-19.

This can be complex, so ask your manager or Human Resources if you need help deciding what to do and always consider consulting your doctor.

We encourage those employees who continue to receive paper checks to enroll in direct deposit as soon as possible to avoid long lines and to help keep our always friendly, local bank tellers safe and healthy. Contact Human Resources to convert to direct deposit.

We also are introducing a new option for electronic funds transfers via a direct deposit, re-loadable debit card through ADP called Wisely.

Wisely does not require a credit check and can be managed directly from a smart phone app. There are no annual fees, no minimum balance and no overdraft fees. This is a low-cost option for those who prefer to keep their funds out of traditional financial institutions.

If you would like more information on how to sign up and enroll into Wisely, contact the Human Resources Department.

Home face mask can now be worn inside Tofurky buildings. This is not a requirement and is your own choice. However, if you work in a production environment, you are required to wear a beard mask over top of your home face mask. A home face mask on the floor is like having a beard.

When wearing a face mask, keep in mind that you might touch your face more often to adjust the mask or taking it on and off. So, remember to wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, creating a lot of friction, on the front and backs of your hands. Do your best to avoid touching your face.

If you start wearing a home face mask at work and you touch your mask, you are required to immediately wash your hands. Also note, Tofurky will NOT be providing employees with face masks other than normal production processes, like dry mix.

Maintenance technicians have been provided with a face mask PPE, since there are maintenance scenarios where two technicians have to be in “prolonged contact” to fix a piece of equipment. These are the only employees who have been provided with formal PPE because of this unique scenario

If you are interested in sewing your own home face mask, check out this article: How to sew a face mask or this video: Constructing a PPE mask video. Download these sewing instructions here.

In trying to keep everyone informed about the COVID-19 health crisis, we have considerably increased our internal communications capabilities. So far, we have:

• Increased our notifications to Production employees via Makeshift (both languages) – be sure to remind Makeshift users to check notifications regularly.
• Increased postings with the latest information on our bulletin boards around each building (both languages).
• Launched this staff blog which contains all of the latest information related to our COVID-19 response. A Spanish version blog is coming soon.

Today, we’d like to announce our formal launch of our TOFURKY CO Team using Microsoft Teams. Everyone at Tofurky who has a company email address, has access to Teams. Use Teams to chat with co-workers, hold video meetings or phone calls, or collaborate with files or photos. Be sure to download the Team mobile app onto your phone to collaborate on the go. Here is a Teams Quick Start Guide to get you started.

You should have received an automated email invitation from Teams asking you to join the TOFURKY CO Team. If you can’t find one after checking your Junk Email, contact Amber for help.

The TOFURKY CO Team will have four channels underneath it:

1. General for regular company updates;
2. COVID-19 for the latest company communications about the coronavirus outbreak;
3. HR News for updates from Human Resources; and
4. Turtle Talk where each of you get to exchange ideas and ask each other questions.

For help with Teams, click on the Help button in bottom left corner of the Teams app on your desktop. Anyone who needs assistance getting up and running with Teams, can reach out to @Amber Zancolli.

Welcome to TOFURKY CO Team and please use this tool in ways that help you be better at what you do at Tofurky and to reach out to co-workers while we are socially distant from one another.

As COVID-19 testing becomes more available and the virus continues to spread, it is important that we are prepared with a plan should one of our employees test positive for COVID-19. As we have said, employee safety and privacy of personal health information is our primary concern, before maintaining business continuity and doing the important job of making food available to people as they stay at home.

If an employee of Tofurky tests positive for COVID-19, we will take the following steps:

1. A confidential telephone interview with the employee that tested positive for COVID-19 will occur to understand their current situation, any recommendations they have received from health officials and understand their recent activity at work.
   • The goal of this interview is to understand which employees they may have had prolonged contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 and to ensure they have a plan of care.
   • In the event the local health authority has completed the interview with the employee, we will work directly with the health authority on next steps.
2. All employees at Tofurky will be notified that we have had an employee test positive for COVID-19 and any employee that is deemed to have had a prolonged contact with the COVID-19 infected employee, will be notified and may be asked to self-quarantine in accordance to CDC guidelines.
   • Under no circumstances will the employee’s private health information or name be disclosed, and Tofurky will be compliant to all privacy laws.
3. Operations will come to an immediate but temporarily stop in the building with which the employee worked, to perform a cleaning and disinfecting of all impacted areas in accordance to the CDC COVID-19 cleaning guidelines. Once this has been completed, we will resume production adhering to the Six-Foot, One-Minute and Ten-Max Rules.
4. In parallel to step 1-3, Tofurky will consult with local health authorities for additional assistance and guidance.
5. Employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, may return to work once they have satisfied the CDC guidelines for discontinuation of home isolation for persons with COVID-19 AND have a doctor’s note clearing them to return to work.

In the serious and unfortunate situation of any Tofurky employee getting sick with COVID-19, privacy of employees personal health information is of critical importance that everyone must respect. It is also a legal requirement.

COVID-19 is believed to spread through close contact between people and respiratory droplets created through coughing and sneezing. It seems to spread very easily from person to person, especially in homes and other confined spaces. The pathogen can be carried on tiny respiratory droplets that fall onto surfaces as they are coughed or sneezed out.

• The Six-Foot Rule: . Maintain a minimum distance of 6-feet between one another, avoiding prolonged contact as it increases risk of transmission. Social distancing is the single most effective way to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus.
• The One-Minute Rule: Tofurky is defining “prolonged contact” as more than 60 seconds within 6 feet between two or more people.
• The 10 Max Rule: Any gathering can only occur if there are 10 or fewer people and if the Six-Foot Rule for social distancing can be maintained. If this is not possible, these meetings should be cancelled or moved to virtual office tools, like MS Teams.
• Self-hygiene guidelines:  Practice CDC recommended self-hygiene guidelines by washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Sterilize things you touch often, like computers, phones, punch clocks, door handles, and common spaces.

Yes, Tofurky remains open and is not a business that has been asked to close under the order. However, we can only stay open as long as we have have healthy employees who come to work. This is why our COVID-19 transmission prevention rules and personal hygiene guidelines are so important.

• Businesses that don’t regularly interact directly with members of the public are not required to close under the new stay-at-home order, but they do face closure if they don’t take concrete steps to ensure the safety of their workforce and avoid the at-work spread of COVID-19.
• Companies who supply, produce and distribute food are defined as “essential” businesses and can remain open. Typically, essential businesses include utilities, telecommunications and transportation providers; animal shelters and veterinary services; manufacturers and distributors of basic goods. The state of Oregon could close any business if they fail to demonstrate compliance in maintaining a distance of at least six feet between employees. 

Under the governor’s order, people are required to stay home, except to meet essential needs like buying food, getting health care and caring for family members or “other vulnerable persons, pets or livestock.” When people do go out to perform or access these services, they should maintain 6 feet of space between themselves and others. Social and recreational gatherings of any size are not permitted, unless the Six-Foot rule can be followed.

Yes. The order says you can go outside with members of your household to do things like hike, bike, run and walk, as long as social distancing with other groups can be maintained. But outdoor places where people gather — pools, playgrounds and sports courts — are all closed. In addition the governor has ordered the closure of all campgrounds, private and public.

Though violating the governor’s order is a misdemeanor, Oregon law enforcement has made it clear that criminal citations will be a “last resort.” Instead, they are taking an “educate-first approach” — explaining to people what the order means and why they need to stay in their homes. 

People that violate the Governor’s Order in an Emergency Declaration could be arrested or cited, which is a C Misdemeanor- the lowest level of criminal conduct designation, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and $1,250 fine. However, all Oregon law enforcement are united on the premise that police action is extremely undesirable and hope to educate Oregonians if congregating in violation of the Governor’s Order. Citation or arrest would be an extreme last resort if a person failed to comply with the lawful direction of a police officer.

No, traffic is moving freely within Oregon and our border states. There are no roadblocks or restrictions of vehicle movement. Washington State is operating under a similar executive order from their Governor, so Oregonians should be aware of these provisions when traveling in their state.

Although Tofurky has opted to provide all employees with a card as an unofficial form of proof of employment, the answer is NO. Law enforcement is not asking or looking for any type of special paperwork from employees or companies who remain open.

No. There is no special documentation or placards for people going to work or permitted activities.

No. The level of this violation is not for reporting police, fire or medical emergencies through 911. People may choose to self-educate their fellow Oregonians or if a large gathering is noted, they may call their respective police agency’s non-emergency number. If you see co-workers congregating at work, kindly remind them to keep a 6-foot distance and if it continues, tell your supervisor.

There are a number of simple and effective self-care practices that can help support your physical and mental health, like these six tips. We encourage you to:

• Rest and relax. Periodically focus on taking slow deep breaths to help activate a relaxation response. It’s also important to take regular breaks when you are able.
• Exercise. Physical activity like brisk walking, mixed with periods of relaxation can alleviate physical and emotional stress. Just remember our Six-Foot rule.
• Express your feelings to people who are supportive of you: family, friends, colleagues, co-workers or health providers.
• Support others who may need to express their feelings to you. Not only will this help them but being of service may help you feel better as well.

Should you or a family member need additional support:

• Mutual of Omaha’s Employee Assistance Program is available (English / Spanish). The Basic Enhanced Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, confidential service that is available 24/7 to help with vast array of issues. You can access this resource via their toll-free number 800-316-2796.
• Regence also has resources related to health and wellness on Regence.com (English / Spanish); such as Telehealth, Advice24, the Empower wellness program and other discount programs.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has up-to-date and accurate information on COVID-19 as well as information about mental health and managing anxiety during this time.

Thank you for all that you are doing to help ensure the health and safety of our employees, our communities, and each other.

TOFURKY SHORT TERM COVERAGE:

3/20/20 – 4/1/20

• Any employee needing to miss work for a COVID-19 related reason*, may use PTO through our existing Tofurky PTO policy.
  • If you do not have enough PTO to cover your leave, you may borrow PTO against future PTO earnings.
  • You may borrow as much as you need to cover you until April 2, 2020.
  • You will need to make a formal request to Human Resources if you would like to take advantage of this.

GOVERNMENT LONG TERM COVERAGE:

4/2/20 – 12/31/20

• After 4/1: Any employee needing to miss work for a COVID-19 related reason*, will be covered through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). You will need to make a formal request to Human Resources if you would like to take advantage of this.

1. Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL)

Full-time employees will be eligible for up to 80 additional hours of paid time off (or pro-rated if part-time) for COVID-19 related reasons*.

• Employees will receive 100% base pay under COVID-19 related reasons* 1-3 below.
• Employees will receive 2/3 base pay under COVID-19 related reasons* 4-6 below. Tofurky available PTO may supplement up to 100% base pay.

1. Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion (FMLA) 

Emergency leave eligibility for up to 12 weeks if required to care for a son or daughter in the case of school or child-care closures, related to COVID-19.

• Weeks 1-2: Are unpaid. Tofurky available PTO or EPSL may supplement up to 100% base pay.
• Weeks 3-12: Are paid at 2/3 base. Tofurky available PTO may supplement up to 100% base pay.

*COVID-19 Related Reasons:

EPSL applies to employees who are unable to work (or telework) and who meet any of the following eligibility criteria:

1. Subject to a quarantine related to COVID-19;
2. Advised to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
3. Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis;
4. Caring for an individual who is subject to quarantine;
5. Caring for a son or daughter if the school or child-care provider is closed;
6. Any other substantially similar condition as specified by US Department of Health and Human Services.

Take peace-of-mind, that between our Tofurky short term and Government long term coverage, you’ll continue to be paid to some level, if you cannot work due to COVID-19.

Rightly so, some of you may be concerned about jobs, getting enough hours of work, or have heard that businesses could shut down. This is not the case for Tofurky.

We are an “essential business” and will remain open to help keep groceries stocked with food. We are expecting an increase in orders as food distributors are trying to keep up with a surge in grocery shopping. In fact, we have already seen significant increases in orders. We need our workers to stay healthy and able to show up to work to fulfill customer orders.

On many levels, we all have a moral obligation to follow our COVID-19 guidelines to reduce the spread of the coronavirus in our community and workplace. This is the only way to ensure that we and our families stay healthy, and that we can continue to come to work each day to keep grocery shelves stocked.

Always remember our Six-Foot, One-Minute and 10 Max Rules, and practice self-hygiene guidelines:

1. Keep six feet apart and do not congregate in groups of more than 10 people.
2. If you are experiencing respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue, you are to remain at home, self-quarantine and call your doctor. You will be sent home if you arrive at work with any of these symptoms.
3. Practice self-hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Sterilize things you touch often, like computers, phones, punch clocks, door handles, and common spaces.

We will be encouraging all employees that need help from HR to use phone calls as their first mode of contact. As we work to support everyone with payroll and staffing, we would ask that the following course of action for employees needing help:

• Judy will be the primary point of contact for the bilingual needs of the operations staff. She will answer as many questions as possible and then will direct specific inquiries to the appropriate person. She will be available from 9:00 am – 5:30 pm for those general employee inquiries. Judy can be reached at her cell number 541-645-4161.
• Lydia will be primarily focusing on supporting operations and with employee scheduling (Makeshift) and ADP time-card monitoring. She will serve as the backup bilingual support.
• Briana can help support any and all issues above but will be the primary point of contact to field any inquiries in conjunction to protected leave, employee accommodations or COVID-19 leave or other related developments.

We encourage employees to initially use their chain of command and then subsequently direct Human Resources specific inquiries to the HR team and we will be continually evaluating our processes during this time and will adjust as issues present themselves.

Please feel free to contact Briana with any concerns.

Paid Time Off Policy

We provide PTO (Personal Time Off) to compensate employees who are unable to work due to illness. Employees who report to work ill will be sent home in accordance with the CDC COVID-19 health guidelines.

• Employees are required to use the employee call-out line should continue to leave messages on the recorded line per current policy. As a reminder, please do not leave medical information on this line. The call-out number is 541-366-4335.
• Any employee needing to miss work for a COVID-19 related reason, may use PTO through our existing Tofurky PTO policy.
• If you do not have enough PTO to cover your leave, you may borrow PTO against future PTO earnings up until April 1st, 2020.
• Leave without pay will be granted without prior approval after all PTO hours have been exhausted.
• However, after 4/1: Any employee needing to miss work for a COVID-19 related reason, will be covered through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) until 12/31/2020.
• Employees will no longer be required to provide a doctor’s note after the third day of absence to return to work. All other medical conditions, such as physical limitations due to injury, will be handled as usual.

We will continue to evaluate our attendance policy during this time and will address issues on a case-by-case basis.

Telework:

Tofurky will consider, on a case-by-case basis, requests from employees to work from home during this time. All administrative staff positions have been evaluated for those who can telework to reduce the number of employees present in our buildings.

Visitors:

We are not permitting any visitors to any Tofurky building, unless there is formal VP level approval.

Travel:

All company travel is on hold and is not permitted, until further notice. Any essential travel must have executive approval. The country is in a Level 2 travel advisory and may increase. See Tofurky’s travel policy.

Regence is expanding virtual care access during the COVID-19 emergency

Regence provides alternative low-cost care solutions such as virtual office visits through Telehealth and secure instant messaging with doctors and nurses. These solutions enable quick and convenient access to virtual care while minimizing the spread of infection and easing pressure on local providers’ offices and emergency rooms. Contact Regence’s Customer Service or sign in to regence.com to learn about the virtual care method that’s best for you.

• Telehealth: Get the care you need from a board-certified medical provider—quickly and easily—with Telehealth. You can have a virtual visit with a health provider by phone, by video or through an app anywhere, anytime. Average waits are under 10 minutes and you can stay out of the waiting room. They can also prescribe medications, if necessary, and share treatment information with your primary care provider.
• Advice24: If you have a question, don’t know how to treat a health condition or are unsure about what kind of care you need, call Regence Advice24 at 1-800-267-6729. Registered nurses are there 24/7/365 to help. Regence Advice24 is not insurance but is offered in addition to your medical plan to help you get information and support when you need it.
• If you need care, you should start by calling your regular doctor to find out if they offer any virtual care. If you don’t have a provider for the care you need, Regence can help find one and go over Telehealth options.

Access to testing

If a doctor believes a member needs to be tested for COVID-19, they will coordinate with the state’s public health department and the CDC. There is no pre-authorization required and testing will be covered under the member’s usual health plan benefits. The following is a link to Governor Kate Brown’s recent announcement regarding COVID-19 testing.

Easy access to medications

As of March 2, refill policies for medications were loosened (excluding opioids) to ensure health insurance members have needed medications on hand. For certain medications that treat chronic conditions, members may also request a 90-day refill. Drug lists and additional policies will be adjusted in the event of a drug shortage to ensure members have uninterrupted access to the medications they need without additional costs.

Proactive outreach to high-risk members

Regence has been proactively contacting high-risk members in our Case Management program to ensure they have the care they need.

Anyone who needs information on how to access their care or needs to obtain replacement health insurance cards should contact HR; we will put you in contact with the appropriate Regence (or other) provider that can help you with your specific problem.

What you need to know about the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19):

1. Coronavirus is more severe and more contagious than the flu. Take it seriously but don’t panic.
2. The elderly and immune-compromised are most at-risk, but everyone can get sick.
3. If you are sick stay home, self-quarantine and call your doctor.
4. If you are experiencing respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue, you are to remain at home until at least 24 hours after you are free of symptoms and signs of a fever (100 degrees F or 37.8 degrees C), without the use of fever-reducing medications.
5. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Hand sanitizer is a backup option.
6. Cough into a sleeve. Wash hands after coughing. Avoid touching your face.
7. Sterilize things you touch often, like computers, phones, punch clocks, door handles, and common spaces.
8. If you have prescriptions, call your doctor and ask for a 3-month supply in case of drug shortages.

It is critical that employees do not report to work while they are experiencing respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue.

Useful Links:

• CDC: What you need to know about coronavirus: English / Spanish
• CDC: What to do if you are sick poster: English / Spanish
• CDC: When and how to wash hands English / Spanish