September 3, 2020
Honorable Ned Lamont
Governor, State of Connecticut
Executive Chambers
State Capitol
Hartford, CT 06106
Re:

Healthcare Workers and COVID-19

Dear Governor Lamont,
We are writing to respectfully request you issue an Executive Order requiring all
healthcare workers to report suspected COVID-19 illnesses to their employer and to require
these workers to quarantine and not report to work.
Following the recent COVID-19 outbreak at Three Rivers Healthcare Nursing
Home and Backus Hospital in Norwich, it is imperative that our essential healthcare
workers, especially those working in close proximity to, and providing critical care for, our
elderly and immune-compromised individuals, be mandated to wear masks, report
suspected COVID symptoms, quarantine, and if needed, seek medical treatment
themselves.
We firmly believe that our healthcare workers have a professional responsibility to
maintain their health, since they are working around sick people. Like everyone else in the
midst of this global pandemic, they also have a moral responsibility – we would say a
heightened moral responsibility – to immediately report any suspected COVID infections
to management, and certainly not to come to work and possibly infect and kill others. As
this case clearly demonstrates, there is much more that we need to do in order to combat
this ongoing pandemic.
In addition, we firmly believe employers have a responsibility to address the
concerns of workers. For example, sufficient staffing levels were ignored. Correct PPE
needs to be available no matter where staff are, whether in a nursing home or hospital
environment. In the most recent example, management failed in its responsibility at both

 Three Rivers and Backus. They essentially ignored complaints of staff and patients or
residents, by not following and substantially ignoring proper protocols and procedures the
virus was permitted to spread. Specifically, in regards to nursing homes, top level staff
refused to wear masks, came to work sick, and put patients and staff in mortal danger. In
addition, this case was exasperated by Backus Hospital by not releasing significant
information in a timely fashion, forced pregnant staff to work in COVID-positive units,
and did not wait for testing results to make discharge and room assignments. These two
vital institutions need to know that we count on them to protect the community, their staff,
and the patients that go there.
It is our understanding that there is not a legal responsibility for staff at any level
to report to the employer when they exhibit signs of illness. We believe this needs to
change immediately.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. We look forward to hearing from
you.
Sincerely,

______________________________
Catherine A. Osten
State Senator, 19th District

Kevin Ryan
State Representative, 139th District

______________________________
Emmett Riley
State Representative, 46th District