Orthodontic Practices and COVID-19 Important considerations in reopening for services and returning employees to the workplace As orthodontic practices across the country emerge from closures and furloughs to reopen for patients, critical questions inevitably will arise relating to safety and risk avoidance. What steps need to be taken if a reinstated worker reports that he or she has tested positive for COVID-19? How should a practice manage a third party who enters the office and claims to be exempt from a mask requirement because of a medical condition? What can a practice do to reduce its potential liability if an employee or a patient claims that he or she contracted the virus at a practice site? Answering these questions involves, among other things, an intersection of OSHA and CDC guidelines, an interpretation of those guidelines, and some subjective analysis. OT1020_Balitis_COVID_MM.indd 46 9/24/20 4:03 PM