Fresno County orders employers to screen employees for respiratory illnesses daily

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno County Department of Public Health is issuing two Health Officer orders to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

The first requires medical providers to report any patients with febrile respiratory illnesses to them the same day they're evaluated.

It also requires businesses to screen their employees for the same illnesses on a daily basis.

"That means asking your employee if you have a fever or are feeling warm or if you have chills or if you have symptoms of respiratory illness," says Dr. Rais Vohra of the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

Those who don't pass must immediately go home.

This order helps keep track of patients and better protect essential businesses.

The second order would make ignoring isolation orders from a medical professional a misdemeanour offense.

"If you are sick and you are coughing, we don't want you out in the public, stay home, please," says Dr. Vohra.

Over the last few weeks, more tests have been conducted, but a study done by ABC ranked California number 46 out of 50 when it comes to testing patients.

Those results are based off completed tests per one million residents.

To date, 325 tests have been conducted in Fresno County, and 87 are still pending

"We are still expecting the tests that were done as far back as March 13th are still pending results," says Dr. Vohra.

Health officials say the delay can be caused by the lack of testing facilities and capacity.

The hope is that new ones will open locally to speed up the process.

For more news coverage on the coronavirus and COVID-19 go to ABC30.com/coronavirus