Scared to Return to Work Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic? These Federal Laws Could Grant You Some Protections

Raven Sterrett, a 27-year-old dental hygienist in Portland, Oregon, hasn’t gone to work in months. Governor Kate Brown suspended non-urgent medical procedures in mid-March, part of an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. But Brown reversed that order on May 1, and Sterrett’s boss asked her to return to work on May 11.

Sterrett’s employer Pham Dental Care had taken steps to follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to protect patients and staff, she tells TIME: ordering thermometers to test patients on arrival and acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE) for the staff. Still, she’s unsure if it’s safe to return — for herself, or her patients. Portland, after all, is a hotspot for COVID-19 cases in Oregon, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University.

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