CLEANING AND DISINFECTING TIPS FOR BUSINESSES AFFECTED BY CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

With some businesses opening as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, maintaining a clean workplace is critical to helping fight the spread of this disease.

Current data suggests that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person speaks, coughs, or sneezes. Transmission may occur directly, or it can happen through contact with contaminated surfaces, followed by contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth.

EDUCATE YOUR EMPLOYEES ON APPROPRIATE HANDWASHING PROCEDURES.

Make sure that employees wash their hands thoroughly, for the full recommended 20 seconds. There’s no shortage of 20-second songs people can use to help time this out. And there’s a lot of light-hearted signage you can find on the Internet to encourage good handwashing technique without feeling overwhelming or scary.

In situations where hand-washing is not an option, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content. You may be able to make a DIY hand sanitizer in a pinch, but make sure that it contains at least 60% alcohol, and use instructions from a reliable source.

COORDINATE WITH LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS. 

Take your cues from local health departments and CDC guidelines. Work with local health departments to better understand what preventative measures are appropriate and treat these guidelines as a minimum. That may include operating at a limited capacity, to make social distancing/physical distancing easier.

Caution is important not just for safety, but also to protect yourself. Right now, there are debates around the legal liability for businesses where the new coronavirus is spread. Congress is working to determine whether some liability protections should be part of the most recent relief bills. But those liability protections may only apply to businesses that do everything “right,” making it all the more important to follow directions. And even if businesses are offered blanket liability protection, that won’t save the reputation of a business where an outbreak occurs.