COVID-19: How Do I Know if a Business is Safe to Visit?

As shelter-in-place orders slowly begin to lift across the nation and businesses start to reopen, it’s critical for everyone to maintain safety precautions. Coronavirus (COVID-19) will likely return in waves until a vaccine is fully developed, approved, and rolled out to the masses. And as people begin to congregate once more, a spike in cases is nearly unavoidable. This means that social distancing, proper personal protective equipment (PPE), limited foot traffic, and businesses taking additional measures to ensure employee and customer safety will be the new normal. As a customer, how do you determine if a business is implementing new safety procedures and following CDC guidelines? 

Safety Precautions to Look For When Frequenting Businesses 

In order for businesses to operate during this time, they must maintain healthy business operations and take extra steps to ensure employee and customer safety. As a customer, look for businesses that implement the following:

  • Require employees to wear face masks 
  • Prohibit handshaking
  • Employees frequently wash hands 
  • Have reserved parking spaces near the front door for curbside pickup only
  • Encourage social distancing measures by using physical barriers, tape, etc.
  • Restructure the layout to make physical distancing guidelines easy to follow and minimally disruptive
  • Install signage throughout the building to remind everyone of new safety protocols in place
  • Regularly disinfect high-touch areas
  • Provide hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol or install sanitization stations throughout the space
  • Encourage respiratory etiquette by providing ample tissues and trash receptacles
  • Install no-touch trash bins
  • Employ contactless payment methods (Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  • Restaurants should provide silverware wrapped or covered at the table, along with glasses turned upside down on a clean napkin
  • Restaurants should also not use table cloths unless disposed of after every customer
  • Hand dryers in bathrooms should not be used
  • Maintain low occupancy in accordance with state and CDC guidelines

If a business is ignoring most or all of the above safety precautions, then chances are they are not taking the pandemic as seriously as they should be. It’s a long road to the entire economy reopening, but being prepared and adhering to safety protocol will fast-track reopening.

Infectious Disease Cleaning for Businesses 

Disease outbreak is an extremely serious situation. If a COVID-19 impacted area is not properly disinfected it could potentially lead to further virus transmission. If a business does not prepare to reopen or does not practice the safety standard outlined by the CDC and OSHA, employees and customers are at an increased risk of exposure. 

Businesses are encouraged to create a reopening and response plan in the event they have a confirmed case of COVID-19. Should a confirmed case occur, it is essential to know who to call in order to minimize operational disruption and to disinfect the area efficiently. If you have any questions, Aftermath Services can explain the entire virus disinfection process from start to finish. For more information on how we clean visit our COVID-19 webpage or call us with additional questions at 877-769-6917.

 

COVID-19 Resources

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