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A North Dakota nurses union rejects a policy that would allow COVID-19 positive nurses to continue treating patients in coronavirus units in hospitals and nursing homes if they are not symptomatic.
In a statement on Wednesday, the North Dakota Nursing Association said the policy was not addressing the root of the problem and called for a statewide mask mandate and other public health measures to be implemented first.
“The NDNA recommends that all other public health measures aimed at reducing demand on the health system and addressing staff shortages be deployed before implementing this particular strategy,” the union said.
The new policy was announced Monday by Gov. Doug Burgum (right) as a way to ease pressure on hospitals that are understaffed and close to capacity as COVID-19 cases escalate uncontrollably in statewide.
North Dakota is currently the worst-affected state in the country in terms of coronavirus cases per 100,000 population, and one of 15 states without a mask warrant.
The health department has recommended people try to slow the spread of the coronavirus by taking measures such as physical distancing and wearing masks in public places, but has not made them mandatory.
Data from the North Dakota Department of Health showed on Thursday that there were less than 10 percent of staffed hospital beds available.
The union said it recognizes that the move is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “crisis” guidelines, but that the decision on whether a nurse who has tested positive for COVID-19 can return at work should belong to nurses, not their employers.
“If a nurse feels she is not good enough to provide safe patient care and chooses not to work under these circumstances, employers should not fight back against the nurse for making that decision,” said the syndicate.
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