Temperature checks are recommended, but one lawmaker refuses

Ohio Rep. Candice Keller is not going to have her temperature taken as she goes to work at the Statehouse, a stance that brought the topic of such checks to forefront in Butler County this week.

The Middletown Republican said she has "civil rights" and "a right to privacy," in a Facebook post about her experience with a Speaker of the House staff member earlier this week attempting to take her temperature.

But other Butler County lawmakers tell the Journal-News they have no problem with their temperature being taken.

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A high temperature is one of the primary symptoms of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, but not all people necessarily diagnosed with the novel virus have a temperature. There’s a growing list of symptoms that can range from mild to severe, and a diagnosis could include just a few to several symptoms.

Then there are people who are asymptomatic, where they have the virus but show no symptoms.

Employers are free to establish rules on temperature checks of employees and guests, though Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton recommend employers check employees’ temperatures. Employers are to “actively encourage sick employees to stay home” until they are fever-free for at least three days without the use of medication.

The White House also recommends employers perform temperature checks, according to the "Opening Up America Again" plan, as does the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some companies are requiring temperature checks of their employees. Workers at Amazon with a 100.4-degree temperature will be sent home, and workers at Walmart are sending employees home with a temperature of at least 100 degrees.

The CDC’s temperature threshold for COVID-19 is 100.4 degrees, but there are other symptoms of COVID-19 — such as chills, difficulty breathing, fatigue and body aches — and a fever is not always a determining factor in diagnosis.

People can also be a carrier of the disease and show no signs of illness.

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Lawmakers who wish to vote but feel ill can vote in an isolation room.

Keller wrote about how she was approached earlier this week by the person in the Statehouse parking garage. She said she “ignored him like always and kept walking,” but “he kept saying, ‘Ma’am, ma’am, I have to take your temperature.’”

She refused. Keller said Speaker of the House Larry Householder later called her to apologize as elected members don’t need to be subjected to have their temperatures taken.

Keller later texted the Journal-News that “mandatory temperature taking is simply another conditioning of us to accept abuses against our liberty. This statewide mood of consent has created a mindset to accept executive fiat…when it’s really just more government expansion into our personal lives.” Keller, whose term is up at the end of 2020, lost an Ohio Senate bid to Ohio Rep. George Lang, R-West Chester Twp., in the 2020 primary election.

Lang said he would allow his temperature to be taken. “If I might be infected, I want to know and I want to take precautions to make sure I am not spreading the disease,” said Lang. “For the most part, I do believe the disease is somewhat of a hoax.” Lang was one of the speakers at the Open Ohio Now! rally where some called for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s removal from office based on his administration’s orders design to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Lang disagrees with any push for impeachment but previously told the Journal-News that DeWine “got it wrong” in his approach to shut down most of the state to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“I think early on in the COVID-19 (pandemic), the evidence certainly appeared real,” Lang said earlier this month. “But I think we have enough empirical data now to show, ‘Hey, we were wrong.’ We made some bad choices, and the devastation will take us decades to undo.”

Ohio Rep. Sara Carruthers, R-Hamilton, also agrees with having her temperature taken “for the safety of others.”

“I want everyone to feel safe,” she said. “In order for that to happen, they need to take my temperature, so I walk right up and get my temperature taken. I take precautions, just like everyone else.”

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS

COVID-19 affects people differently. Those who are infected can have a range of symptoms, and are from mild to severe. They also may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms include:

• Fever or chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

Source: U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention

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About the Author

Michael D. Pitman

Michael D. Pitman has been a reporter in southwest Ohio since 1999. He's covered local governments in Warren and Butler counties, as well as state and national issues. He currently covers the cities of Fairfield and Hamilton.