I have a dilemma. 
I have a cough. 

I’m an Occupational Therapist,  working in a state mental health facility.  My cough is minor, and it’s March, so quite common to get a cough... but how do I know it’s not COVID-19? The truth is I don’t. 

So now I have to ask... do I stay off work for 7 days, leaving a shortfall of staff and putting further strain on the already strained system, when the likelihood is that I don’t actually have COVID-19?

OR, do I go to work with my minor cough (as I would normally) and risk potentially spreading COVID-19 to all of the sicker patients I see on a daily basis? 

This same dilemma is being faced by ALL hospital workers Washington State, including the custodians (who are the unsung heroes in all of this!) Currently, tests are only being done on patients who require hospital admission. This virus will cause minor symptoms for most people, and relatively young and healthy staff are most likely to fall into that category. The issue is the patients we treat are not healthy, they are frail and vulnerable. Ask yourself this- if your loved one needs hospital care for a condition not related to Covid-19, would you want them to be treated by staff who are likely infected with it? If not, please help us out here. 

We WANT to stay in work. We are proud to serve but we need some common sense here...

I am petitioning for prioritisation of testing for front line staff... so that those who need to stay away do so, with a clear conscience, and those who can work can do so, with a clear conscience