COVID-19 has drastically impacted the world in just about every way. From social gatherings to business ventures, virtually no corner of the globe has been left untouched. As progress has been made over the last year in curbing the effects of COVID through safe measures, the recent appearance of the Delta Variant has left many business owners wondering if there will ever be a reprieve.
Many business managers are unsure of how to respond to the Delta Variant. Thankfully, there are a few safe practices that you can implement that will help you and your employees stay safe through this difficult time. Here’s what you need to know.
Implement Sanitary Procedures
Due to the extremely contagious nature of the Delta Variant, it is imperative that sanitary measures are put in place that will protect employee health. A few common best practices include:
- Wiping down all high-touch surfaces throughout the workday, such as doorknobs, desks, light switches, etc.
- Placing hand sanitizer and masks in easy-to-access areas for employee use
- Cleaning commonly used rooms, such as bathrooms, meeting rooms, etc., every day
- Setting a cleaning schedule that can be followed by the custodial crew to help ensure that everything stays clean
Aside from having your custodial crew clean specific surfaces, you can further implement sanitary practices by having your employees take responsibility for their health as well as the health of others.
Encourage Employee Responsibility
Your employees will know everything they touch and who they come in contact with both in and out of work. Encouraging them to be responsible can lead to them wiping down surfaces after they use them, as well as cleaning up after themselves.
You should also educate your employees on the benefits of getting the COVID vaccine and explore options for workplace vaccination distribution.
Employees should also take responsibility to protect the health of others by staying home if they are sick or have been in close contact with someone who has suffered from the Delta Variant. Employee responsibility can go a long way in protecting the health of others in the workplace.
Improve Ventilation
One of the leading causes of the contraction of the Delta Variant is poor ventilation in the workplace. When several employees work in the same, poorly ventilated room, there is a high chance that someone will contract the virus as germs and other bacteria build up.
Ventilation can mitigate this risk as air is freshened and germs are cycled out of the workplace. There are air purifiers you can purchase for this exact reason. Depending on your workspace, you can also open windows to get a steady flow of clean air to clear out the work area.
Provide Easy Testing For Employees
In order to help encourage employees to get tested, consider offering onsite testing through a mobile med organization. This will allow easy access to testing, making it more likely to catch individuals who have contracted the virus before it spreads to anyone else.
Another option is for employees to test themselves at home. Follow-up confirmation tests can then be prescribed for those who initially tested positive but aren’t showing symptoms. The cost of these tests should be covered by companies in order to increase testing among their working force.
Limit Company Travel
Another way companies should respond to the Delta Variant is by limiting business-related travel as much as possible. Traveling to states or areas with lighter COVID restrictions can increase the risk of contracting the virus. Furthermore, the more you expose yourself or your employees to high-traffic areas such as airports, bus stations, taxis, etc., the higher the risk of developing COVID symptoms or inadvertently carrying the Delta Variant back into your own company.
Stay Up To Date
New information and studies are always being done to help inform business owners on how they should move forward in the fight against COVID and the Delta Variant. To best prepare for potential issues, make it a point to regularly read up on the latest COVID-related news and what recommendations are being made on how you can respond to the danger and keep yourself and your employees safe.
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