Delta takes temperatures of employees at headquarters

Delta Air Lines employees reporting to work at the company’s Atlanta headquarters are being screened by having their temperature taken.

The screenings are being conducted on employees and pre-authorized visitors before they enter common work spaces as part of enhanced procedures for worker safety, according to Delta.

While most Delta headquarters employees are working from home, some are still going to the office, including reservations workers and employees at the airline's control center, called the Operations and Customer Center.

>>PHOTOS: An inside look at Delta’s headquarters

Employers and governments across the country are dealing with how to handle employee screenings, from Wal-Mart, which announced it will take employee temperatures, to Detroit’s Wayne County, which issued an emergency health order last week calling for any open business to screen employees.

In some hot spots, including including the Seattle area and Santa Clara County, Calif.,  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended workplaces conduct daily temperature and respiratory symptom screenings of staff and visitors entering buildings.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said March 19 because of community spread of COVID-19, “employers may measure employees’ body temperature.”

The EEOC notes: "As with all medical information, the fact that an employee had a fever or other symptoms would be subject to ADA confidentiality requirements."

It says the Americans with Disabilities Act allows employers to require employees to stay home if they have symptoms of COVID-19.