DHEC workers expected in the office next week, despite warnings that COVID isn’t over
Most workers at South Carolina’s health department are being told to return to the office Monday as part of an effort to fully reopen state offices after months of state employees working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.
A Department of Health and Environmental Control email to employees said 75 percent of the agency’s workforce should be in their offices March 15, with the remainder to report for work in their offices by April 5. The department has more than 3,000 full-time workers.
DHEC’s plan is one of many being developed by state agencies to return employees to government buildings, rather than continuing to let them work from home. Return-to-office plans were due Wednesday to the S.C. Department of Administration, which is coordinating the effort.
Cristi Moore, a spokeswoman for DHEC, said the Department of Administration is telling agencies to return employees to work Monday, unless the department grants a waiver.
DHEC’s director of human resources, Marcus Robinson, said his agency expects workers who return to the office to wear masks, social distance and conduct virtual meetings when possible. Robinson said the department would give each returning employee two cloth masks to wear.
“As you return to the workplace, all employees will be required to continue to follow the DHEC procedures for social distancing, mask usage, and hand hygiene to protect patients, visitors, co-workers, and themselves,’’ Robinson said in an email to workers late Tuesday afternoon.
Robinson’s email to workers follows Gov. Henry McMaster’s decision last week to drop requirements to wear masks in state-owned buildings or in restaurants. McMaster’s order also said state agencies should make plans to return employees to their offices soon.
His decision sparked criticism from Democratic lawmakers that he’s abandoning precautions prematurely, before everyone has had a chance to become vaccinated against the coronavirus. The disease, the worst of its kind in a century, has killed more than 8,000 South Carolinians since the first cases in the state were identified in March 2020.
Fewer than 20 percent of South Carolina residents have received at least one COVID 19 vaccine dose, according to National Public Radio, citing federal statistics. DHEC does not know how many of its employees have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but is encouraging them to get shots, Moore said.
Of all agencies, DHEC should know more about the threats of the coronavirus than any other in state government. The department has taken the lead in developing plans to battle the disease, and while it has been criticized for some decisions, officials have consistently said people should social distance, stay out of crowds and wear masks.
Now, the agency’s workers are being sent back into the offices, some of which provide work space for hundreds of people. The agency’s main headquarters building on Bull Street in Columbia has offices for about 625 people.
State Sen. Dick Harpootlian, a Columbia Democrat, said McMaster is moving too quickly to open offices, but DHEC — as the state’s health department — should have stood up to the governor about returning to offices prematurely. Unlike many state departments, DHEC is not a cabinet agency directly under the governor’s control.
“The governor is hell bent on reopening no matter what the scientific advice is, and it sounds like DHEC is ignoring the scientific advice, too, which is not a good sign,’’ Harpootlian said. “They could say no, but this is just another example of what they did during the height of the pandemic, which is do whatever the governor told them to do.’’
An administration department memorandum says the state will consider extra time for agencies to reopen offices if they can show that it is warranted. Waivers can be granted, for instance, so that agencies have time to provide more space between work areas or to give employees an opportunity to make child care arrangements, the memo says.
DHEC spokeswoman Moore said 63 percent of DHEC employees now are working from agency offices “or in the field.’’ Employees considered working from the field are those who don’t work from a designated agency office or from home, she said.
“By Monday, we’ll be increasing the number of employees at work by 12 percent.,’’ Moore’s email said. “By April 5, our Admin-approved deadline extension, the remaining 25 percent of our employees will return to work. ‘’
Although McMaster lifted a mandate that people in state buildings wear masks, Moore said visitors to DHEC offices will be expected to wear them. The agency will provide masks at the entrance for visitors, she said.
The Department of Administration says agency heads have the discretion to require state workers to wear masks in the office, despite the governor’s order.
Governor’s office spokesman Brian Symmes said McMaster never specified a date that agencies should reopen offices, but said the state Department of Administration is coordinating the return-to-office plans with agencies.
“We’ve had millions of South Carolinians who have been going to work in person throughout the state in every single industry,’’ Symmes said. “He expects agency heads to start working toward bringing state employees back into the work place in a safe way.’’
Last week, McMaster said it is time to reopen offices.
“Now that the majority of South Carolinians are eligible to receive the vaccine, and infections and hospitalizations have dropped significantly, state agency heads may safely bring back the last group of state employees working remotely,” McMaster said last week.
DHEC’s Robinson said the agency will do its best to accommodate employees.
Some employees are being allowed to return April 5, in part so they can find care for children who have been at home, Robinson said.
“We also recognize that many of our employees who have been working remotely during this time may need to make arrangements, such as childcare, in order to return to the workplace,’’ the email said, explaining that the agency had received a waiver to accommodate employees in that situation.
Robinson’s email went on to say that the “health and safety of DHEC employees and our clients remains a top priority. We are currently in the process of evaluating our re-entry plan and work spaces.’’
DHEC, unlike departments in most other states, is in charge of both public health and environmental protection.
The agency administers an array of services and programs, including issuing birth certificates, regulating tattoo parlors, permitting hospital expansions, and providing public health services. The agency, among other environmental duties, considers pollution discharge permits for industries, monitors water quality, oversees mining pits and garbage dumps, and enforces environmental rules.
This story has been updated with comments from DHEC.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 9:15 AM.
