As retail stores across the country begin to re-open to full capacity and many states remove their requirements for masks and face coverings, the question arises: How will retail stores and commercial buildings protect their staff and prevent the spread of COVID inside their buildings?
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we think about indoor shared spaces and recirculated air. While airborne diseases are not a new threat, the global health crisis caused by the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus is unprecedented.
As a result, many employers and retail building owners are thinking about their infection control and air ventilation methods in a new light. At the start of the pandemic, many retail stores enforced mask requirements or encouraged online shopping. Now, as the world slowly starts to return to normal, employers are faced with a new set of challenges and concerns.
In order to prioritize the safety of staff and customers, businesses must adjust their processes—and in some cases their infrastructure—to limit the spread of COVID-19 within their buildings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a list of recommendations for retail and grocery stores to help protect the safety and wellbeing of customers and staff. The tips include:
- Providing employees with information about COVID-19, how it is transmitted, and risk of exposure
- Actively encouraging sick employees to stay at home
- Minimizing face-to-face interactions with employees who may be at higher risk for severe illness
- Providing training to employees on proper hand washing practices and other preventative measures
- Physically separating employees and customers when possible using strategies such as barriers at checkout lanes and customer services desks
- Moving the electronic payment terminal/credit card reader farther away from the cashier to increase the distance between the customer and the cashier
For a complete list of the CDC recommendations, visit this link.
Life Balance Technologies helps hospitals and other companies easily analyze air quality conditions and effectively manage their HVAC systems. By streamlining the process for compliance, auditing, and reporting, we help reduce costs and save lives.
