Increasing Cases of COVID-19

As more states begin to allow businesses to open and more people flock to establishments, the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing. The cases are growing at even greater rates in states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida where mandates were removed quickly and there seems to be quite a push to open businesses now versus waiting and adjusting slowly.

Governing units have chosen to let businesses decide what is best for their organization and their occupants. While the infection continues to spread, here are some ways to better protect your establishment.

Require masks

Originally the messaging around masks was mixed. The supply was low in the states, and individuals did not want to reduce an already insufficient supply that was needed for frontline employees to fight the virus and individuals that were exposed. Now that more masks have become accessible, strong-quality masks are available for most people.

Requiring masks inside your facility is a good way to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Wearing a face covering in public during the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic is sound advice (and in some circumstances a legal requirement) that could help slow the spread of the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By requiring masks inside your facility, you can help reduce the risk of spread between occupants.

Develop an entry process

As employees and visitors return to your facility, make sure you communicate a day-to-day process for them to follow. The process may include:

• Taking their temperature before coming into the facility
• Sanitizing hands, personal items, and workspace upon entry
• Wearing a mask throughout public areas of the building or when the employee is not at their workspace or alone in a closed room
• Maintaining a 6-foot distance between all other occupants
• Keeping a clean desk and the removal of personal choochkies
• No sharing of personal items or work items in group spaces
• Working from home if they can, especially if they have high-risk factors
• Signing an affidavit that they understand the new rules and processes and are willing to comply until new rules are established

Train with repetition

The one way to create a habit is to do it over and over again until it’s ingrained in your everyday process. Since so many changes will be happening within the facility, make sure employees and visitors have regular visual reminders of what to do.

• Hang sanitation stations around the building, especially near conference rooms and entry areas
• Display the number of individuals that can occupy certain rooms or areas at a time
• Create a training program or presentation and make it available to employees
• Print and hang signs around the facility reminding occupants of one-way through ways, occupant limitations, hygiene, etc.
• Think through the user experience and use the six-sigma method to make the changes easily applicable and not allow the new processes to greatly reduce production

Be inspired by the PUREClean service method

When COVID-19 first started to spread in January, Flagship started to rethink how cleaning should be done if the virus came to the states. Once facilities in the US were affected and many governing agencies ordered shutdowns, Flagship perfected the PUREClean service method to help businesses understand what steps they need to take to reopen responsibly.

• Review and make sure you have a sufficient inventory of cleaning chemicals, materials, and consumables based on the opening phase and building occupancy
• Ensure cleaning staff have been thoroughly trained on proper disinfecting guidelines, mixing recommendations, and saturation times
• Determine high-traffic areas that will require thorough cleaning due to heavy usage such as break areas, kitchens, gyms/locker rooms, conference rooms, and restrooms
• Ensure all cleaning staff practice hand hygiene prior to putting PPE on and follow Health, Safety, Security Environment (HSSE) requirements and CDC guidelines
• Routinely sanitize high-touch point areas throughout the entire time individuals are occupying the facility
• Treat all surfaces using EPA-registered disinfectants
• After use, workers should properly dispose of or sanitize PPE in accordance with the World Health Organization or local regulatory requirements
• Adapt to new events and cases quickly and apply those changes to the current process
• Communicate frequently

If you are feeling overwhelmed or find operating responsibly during COVID-19 daunting, contact Flagship. Our PUREClean service program provides a four-pronged approach that will help you protect employees in their workplace and the traveling public in airports. It is designed to support a full, partial, or staged reopening and help workers feel safe within their facility despite growing case numbers around the world.