Educate and Protect Employees
Educate all personnel with official information about COVID-19 Create a strategy for the personnel that can work remotely. Activate this plan according to the company’s capabilities.
Recommend that employees who have fever, cough and shortness of breath to stay home. Ensure that you have flexible sick leave policies and make sure employees aware of these policies.
Contact contractors and temporary employment companies and inform them of the new official policies.
For employees with COVID-19 symptoms, relax the time of a medical excuse requirement. Institute a flexible policy for employees who become caregivers of family members afflicted with COVID-19.
Separate sick employees
As recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness (i.e. fever, coughing, shortness of breath) should not come to work. If they come to work or become ill, they should be separated from other employees, and they should be sent home to get medical care. Emphasize that employees should stay home when they feel sick. (Use multiple forms of information).
Place posters around the workplace, send emails and text message communications on how to avoid getting infected. Emphasize hand hygiene at the entrance to the workplace and in other common areas.
Encourage the use of disposable tissues and how to dispose of them correctly.
Encourage employees to wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. In the absence of soap and water, use a disinfectant containing more than 60% alcohol.