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Knox County has implemented a new policy that will continue pay to county employees who test positive for COVID-19 for 14 business days while they self-quarantine.

The plan, which was released Monday, however, doesn't provide pay for employees who don’t feel well who do not test positive, or can’t be tested because testing supplies are scarce. It also does not cover employees who would be considered highly vulnerable to the virus. For those employees it is business as usual, and they must use their sick or annual leave to get paid for missing work.

“Again, we’re still a low-risk area. We’re really letting (Knox County Health Department Director) Dr. Martha Buchanan take the lead on that. We’re in constant communication with her every day to see what we need to do and it’s just continue on as is,” County Human Resources Director Marcus Kennedy said. “(We) probably have a little bit more of an emphasis on if you’re not feeling good, go home just to mitigate that risk.”

More:Knox County in talks to open drive-thru coronavirus testing sites

Kennedy said employees who are concerned about contact with the public or who may be vulnerable to the virus could be moved to other departments or jobs within their department to accommodate the concern.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has instructed people to stay home if they feel sick or if they have a serious underlying health condition — particularly anything that impairs the lungs or heart – that could make them more susceptible to the virus.

Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen seemed torn about the county’s policy in a staff email she sent Tuesday afternoon that was obtained by Knox News.

“My intent was to go to a skeletal crew tomorrow,” she wrote. “I do not want to expose any of you unnecessarily to this virus. However, there are some of you that want to continue to work and there are still very real concerns about how leave and pay are affected if you chose to stay home.”

A spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Health said the state is “finalizing the policy around these questions to communicate the information to our state government HR and employee community as soon as possible.”

The county’s sick leave accrues year-over-year.

No change in city policy to date

As of Wednesday afternoon, the city of Knoxville has not made changes to their leave policy, though officials are discussing what those plans may be, Civil Service Director Vicki Hatfield said.

The city — unlike the county — operates a sick leave bank program that allows employees to share unused sick days. Hatfield said the bank is available to employees who are members and who are ill and out of work for more than 30 days.

Some 75% of city employees have four weeks or more of paid sick leave built up, city spokesman Eric Vreeland said, and there is a process in place where employees who are not sick but who feel vulnerable to Coronavirus can ask for a workplace accommodation — or seek permission to work from home, he said.

"What is a certainty is that public health is the top priority: We’re rigorously efforting to follow CDC and Knox County Health Department protocols and guidelines, and we’re immediately sending home anyone who is feeling ill," he said.

County response differs from city’s

Monday, soon after Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon announced a state of emergency for the city, County Mayor Glenn Jacobs released a video on his Twitter account saying the county would not follow unless it became absolutely necessary.

More:Mayor Kincannon declares state of emergency for Knoxville over coronavirus

The declaration would allow the county to move finances and other resources around more easily, something that isn’t necessary yet, he said. He stressed that the Knox County Health Department has the resources it needs.

“At this point I believe I have two jobs,” he said. “One is to ensure public safety and the health of the people of Knox County. The other is to maintain my oath to the United States Constitution and the constitution of the State of Tennessee and protect the civil liberties and the rights of the people of Knox County. I intend on doing both.”

The county has closed senior centers and limited access to county libraries.

Other counties within metro areas across the state have acted the same way. Both Chattanooga and Memphis’ mayors announced state of emergencies in recent days, but their counties, Hamilton and Shelby, respectively, have not made similar announcements.