How reliable are temperature checks for re-opening businesses?
How reliable are temperature checks for re-opening businesses?
This explainer is more than 90 days old. Some of the information might be out of date or no longer relevant. Browse our homepage for up to date content or request information about a specific topic from our team of scientists.
This article has been translated from its original language. Please reach out if you have any feedback on the translation.
Checking people for fever before they interact with others has been proposed as a means to help reduce transmission of disease. Some countries such as China and South Korea have widespread checks of body temperature to help identify individuals with fevers in offices, restaurants, airports, or other popularly-frequented locations. As a standalone measure, checking for fever is insufficient to prevent disease transmission because of how asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people can get others sick. Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 - not temperature checks - is a much more accurate, effective means of determining whether or not employees might be infected with the virus. Additionally, temperature testing may be difficult to implement in some locations due to limited resources, privacy concerns, and other reasons. Some experts have cited concerns about workplace surveillance and privacy while using infrared temperature checks. There are also questions about the effectiveness and accuracy of these workplace thermometers, especially considering how many pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients might not have any symptoms during the duration of their illness. Lastly, fevers might be indicative of other factors or illnesses unrelated to COVID-19; for example, elevated body temperature is commonly observed in people who are physically exerting energy or under great stress.
Checking people for fever before they interact with others has been proposed as a means to help reduce transmission of disease. Some countries such as China and South Korea have widespread checks of body temperature to help identify individuals with fevers in offices, restaurants, airports, or other popularly-frequented locations. As a standalone measure, checking for fever is insufficient to prevent disease transmission because of how asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people can get others sick. Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 - not temperature checks - is a much more accurate, effective means of determining whether or not employees might be infected with the virus. Additionally, temperature testing may be difficult to implement in some locations due to limited resources, privacy concerns, and other reasons. Some experts have cited concerns about workplace surveillance and privacy while using infrared temperature checks. There are also questions about the effectiveness and accuracy of these workplace thermometers, especially considering how many pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients might not have any symptoms during the duration of their illness. Lastly, fevers might be indicative of other factors or illnesses unrelated to COVID-19; for example, elevated body temperature is commonly observed in people who are physically exerting energy or under great stress.
Publication
What our experts say
Checking people for fever before they interact with others has been proposed as a means to help reduce transmission of disease. Some countries such as China and South Korea have widespread checks of body temperature to help identify individuals with fevers in offices, restaurants, airports, or other popularly-frequented locations. As a standalone measure, checking for fever is insufficient to prevent disease transmission because of how asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people can get others sick. Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 - not temperature checks - is a much more accurate, effective means of determining whether or not employees might be infected with the virus. Additionally, temperature testing may be difficult to implement in some locations due to limited resources, privacy concerns, and other reasons.
Some experts have cited concerns about workplace surveillance and privacy while using infrared temperature checks. There are also questions about the effectiveness and accuracy of these workplace thermometers, especially considering how many pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients might not have any symptoms during the duration of their illness. Lastly, fevers might be indicative of other factors or illnesses unrelated to COVID-19; for example, elevated body temperature is commonly observed in people who are physically exerting energy or under great stress.
Checking people for fever before they interact with others has been proposed as a means to help reduce transmission of disease. Some countries such as China and South Korea have widespread checks of body temperature to help identify individuals with fevers in offices, restaurants, airports, or other popularly-frequented locations. As a standalone measure, checking for fever is insufficient to prevent disease transmission because of how asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people can get others sick. Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 - not temperature checks - is a much more accurate, effective means of determining whether or not employees might be infected with the virus. Additionally, temperature testing may be difficult to implement in some locations due to limited resources, privacy concerns, and other reasons.
Some experts have cited concerns about workplace surveillance and privacy while using infrared temperature checks. There are also questions about the effectiveness and accuracy of these workplace thermometers, especially considering how many pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients might not have any symptoms during the duration of their illness. Lastly, fevers might be indicative of other factors or illnesses unrelated to COVID-19; for example, elevated body temperature is commonly observed in people who are physically exerting energy or under great stress.
Context and background
Many businesses and organizations are following World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations for measuring the temperature of every employee at a business location, though this is not a requirement or recommendation in every state in the United States or every country in the world. As temperature checks are not a stipulation to re-open a business in most countries, many business owners have opted not to perform this task.
Many businesses and organizations are following World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations for measuring the temperature of every employee at a business location, though this is not a requirement or recommendation in every state in the United States or every country in the world. As temperature checks are not a stipulation to re-open a business in most countries, many business owners have opted not to perform this task.
