As communities begin to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are looking to take the right steps in preparing for that reopening. Experts are discussing the importance of careful planning during this stage of the pandemic. Business owners will need to be informed about how to properly reopen.
Here are four steps that business owners can take to prevent COVID-19 from spreading while reopening, as told by Brooke Chaplan in collaboration with ADCO Companies.
Think about employee behaviour
The first step to reopening a business should be recognising areas of transmission. Come up with a list of tasks that your employees normally do during a typical workday. Is there a lot of physical contact involved in your workplace? Do the employees work in close proximity to each other? Where are the high-risk areas for transmission? As an employer, you will need to figure out all the ways a worker or a customer might come into contact with the virus.
Take location into consideration
In addition to thinking about how a worker may be exposed, you will have to take into account the location of your business. Is the business located in a high-risk area for illness? Are there any testing labs nearby to check for the disease? Be sure to stay on top of the local mandates given by experts in your area.
Working from home
You need to make sure that you are doing all that you can to keep your staff safe. Therefore, if you are able to then let staff work from home during this transition period. This may be necessary for those employees who are parents and are not able to get childcare at this point.
Learn about COVID-19 symptoms and infection control
Being able to identify symptoms of the virus will be important in preventing its spread. Use a symptom checker to monitor workers for the virus. According to the Center for Disease Control, people with the Coronavirus will experience the following symptoms: coughing, shortness of breath, fever, muscle soreness, chills, and trouble breathing. Workers who display these symptoms should be asked to self-quarantine for the time being. Seek immediate medical attention if somebody shows any emergency warning symptoms like trouble breathing.
Take the right precautions at the workplace
Require workers to wear facemasks and gloves to reduce viral spread. Remind them to frequently wash their hands and practise social distancing of at least 2 metres. Make sure that all employees are aware of the protocol that needs to be followed in order to prevent COVID-19’s spread. And remember to routinely clean and disinfect the workplace.
Closing thoughts on post-COVID 19 recovery
It’s a sensitive time and all that can be done to avoid further spreading of COVID-19 needs to be done. So, as long as there is a clear and efficient plan laid out for reopening, post-COVID reopening should be fine for locals. Just keep in mind all of the steps that need to be covered in this plan.
Make sure to keep up with the latest advice on the virus to ensure you are taking the right precautions. You can find the latest information on gov.co.uk.
More on small businesses and COVID-19 and working from home.
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