Ward County employees will have two options for COVID-19 antibody testing at no personal cost.
The Ward County Commission on Tuesday gave approval to a June blood drive and to using federal CARES Act dollars to cover the $70 cost for employees who wish to receive antibody testing at Trinity Health.
Vitalant, the local blood services provider, continues to offer free antibody testing to its blood donors. Antibodies develop following an infection, and components from blood found to be positive for antibodies are sometimes used in COVID-19 treatment.
Human Resources Director Tammy Terras explained the testing will guide employee decision making regarding when to get a rapid COVID-19 screening test, when to quarantine and whether to get the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people who test positive for antibodies still quarantine after virus exposure, she said.
jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Ward County employees will continue to receive COVID-19 leave under an updated policy approved by the county commission Tuesday.
The county had adopted a policy in accordance with federal law last year to provide up to 80 days of leave for employees faced with quarantine or who had positive tests for COVID-19. The commission optionally extended the program to March 31 of this year, allowing employees who did not use their full leave in 2020 to carry over leave into 2021.
The commission took additional, optional action Tuesday to adopt a new policy, effective April 1, that provides 80 hours of leave through Sept. 30 for all employees, including those who already have used previous hours. Under the new policy, the county can apply for a federal payroll tax credit for wages paid during employees’ leaves.
jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Ward County’s paid employee leave policy for COVID-19 will remain suspended as county commissioners consider what type of policy, if any, they want to put in place going forward.
The Ward County Commission originally adopted a policy that ran from April 1 through December 2020, granting special paid employee leave as required by Congress. Congress did not extend the requirement but provided tax credits to businesses that continued the policy in 2021.
Ward County continued the emergency paid sick leave portion of its policy through March 31, although tax credits were not available to political subdivisions. The county allowed employees to carry over any unused leave from 2020 into 2021.
Ward County commissioners are moving toward making COVID-19 antibody testing available to county residents.
Commission Chairman John Fjeldahl began advocating for antibody testing two months ago when the commission approved providing rapid tests for county employees. He said he’s been frustrated by the lack of progress during that time. He and Ward County Emergency Manager Jennifer Wiechmann reported to the commission Tuesday on where things stand.
Fjeldahl said the state will provide test kits for free but will not process the tests. He said Trinity Health would be willing to train staff to do the processing, but the county also learned insurance will not cover the costs of processing because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined the tests are no longer medically relevant in the age of the vaccines. That also means the antibody testing isn’t eligible for 75% cost sharing through the Federal Emergency Management Administration as a COVID-19 emergency exp
jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Submitted Photo
A proposed family homeless shelter is shown in this Broadway Circle rendering from EAPC.
A resilience project to build affordable housing and a family homeless shelter on South Broadway is moving forward despite the loss of its developer.
A request for planned unit development zoning will go to the Minot Planning Commission Tuesday for Broadway Circle at 1901 S. Broadway. Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota filed the application Dec. 23. LSSND announced this month that it is closing.
“They are out of business but the project is alive,” said John Zakian, Minot’s National Disaster Resilience Program manager. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t go ahead and approve it because we are still going to do the project. It’s just going to be with a different entity.”