The COVID-19 virus, which was first detected in China, continues to spread throughout the world, causing disruptions to lives and businesses alike. At present, the number of confirmed cases stands at over 10 million, with over half a million deaths recorded. More than 213 countries and territories have been affected by this highly contagious virus, which continues to spread at lightning speed.
While it was initially believed that this strain of coronavirus caused disease in animals only, the developments that we have seen so far confirm that COVID-19 can cause serious respiratory illness in humans. The evidence collected by medics and researchers suggests that this flu virus affects people differently. Senior citizens and individuals with existing comorbidities seem to be affected more severely with the virus as compared to the youth and people whose immunity has not been compromised by other medical conditions.
Some of the most common symptoms of this virus include; dry cough, fever, fatigue, headache, sore throat and sneezing. Some patients also report other less common symptoms such as diarrhea, skin rash and loss of smell and taste.
Since there is no cure or vaccine for the virus currently, health experts have been advocating for people to wash their hands regularly, wear a mask when in public and maintain social distance with others in order to slow the spread of the virus. Let us now look at some of the ways you can protect your employees from this deadly virus and keep your office safe from coronavirus.
Select Furniture that is Easy-to-Clean
If you are planning to revamp your office during this pandemic period, you should ideally choose furniture that is easy to clean. This will make it a lot easier for your cleaners to disinfect them in order to keep your office clean and healthy for your workers. In addition to this, your employees will be more motivated to clean their work space by themselves, thus maintaining a high level of hygiene in the office at all times.
Replace Your Pull-Push Doors with Swing Doors and Install Motion Sensors
Minimizing the number of surfaces that your employees touch can greatly reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus in the office. You can do this by installing swing doors which open both ways. These doors typically don’t have handles and can be opened by pushing with other parts of the body thereby eliminating contact with hands. If you have extra money in your budget, you should also consider installing motion sensors throughout the office in order to prevent your workers from touching bathroom or kitchen door handles with their hands.
Make the Most of Technology
In accordance with the safety measures that have been recommended by health experts, many businesses are increasingly integrating technology in the office to help mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. For instance, instead of having packed office meetings, you can employ video conferencing to have remote meetings with your employees without them having to leave their desk. Thanks to these technologies, your employees can also work from home if they feel sick or are worried about coming to work due to fear of contracting the virus.
Regularly Disinfect Your Office Space
Another effective strategy for reducing the risk of infection at work is by ensuring your office space is cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. Normally, most offices conduct routine cleaning a few times a week. However, under the extraordinary circumstances that we are living in today, failing to clean and disinfect office surfaces and workstations can pose a serious health hazard. In order to keep your employees safe and your work environment healthy, you should schedule daily cleaning, and disinfecting of all surfaces including desks, chairs, office appliances and machinery.
Install Sanitizer in Your Office
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began a few months ago, health experts have been emphasizing the need for people to wash their hands with soap and water regularly in order to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading the virus. However, in cases where this is not possible, it is recommended to have alcohol-based sanitizers on standby.
Stock Up on First Aid Supplies
Despite taking all the health and safety precautions to protect your employees, you should always take preemptive measures to ensure that your office is prepared in case one or more of your workers unknowingly contracts the virus. For this reason, it is absolutely vital that you update your first aid kit by stocking it up with medical supplies which may be required by your workers in case they fall sick. This includes latex gloves, surgical masks and lozenges to suppress the symptoms of flu. Make sure you also have a designated location where your employees can safely dispose these items after use in order to keep your office space germ-free.
By adopting these measures and enforcing them in your office, you will not only protect your staff from the deadly coronavirus, but also create a safe and comfortable space for them to work .