America needs a national strategy for getting back to work. Some of the principles we are following at Raleigh Acupuncture can easily be adapted to fit other businesses. Making work safe after Coronavirus is critically important. The sooner we figure out how to do it, the sooner Americans can get back to work.
Making Work Safe After Coronavirus
Here are the safety procedures we have implemented:
- Don’t come to your appointment if you, a family member, or co-worker has been sick at any time in the last 14 days.
- Don’t come to your appointment if you currently have any signs of a cold, allergies or flu. This includes sniffles, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, or fever.
- Please wear a face mask to your appointment. If you don’t have one, wear a bandana or scarf covering your nose and mouth. This is for your protection and for the protection of others.
- Wash your hands as soon as you arrive at the office.
- Keep social distancing of at least 6 feet in the waiting room.
- We will wipe down face cradles, arm rests, door knobs, bells, pens and other items you may need to touch with clorox wipes or alcohol between each treatment.
These rules for making work safe after Coronavirus can be adjusted for most small businesses. First, don’t come to work if you or someone in your home is, or has been, sick. Period. No exceptions. We don’t tolerate sexual harassment at work, and now we don’t tolerate sniffles.
Next, wear a facemask to work every day and wear it all day long. Every American needs an N95 facemask. It should not be too difficult for 3M to ramp up production, or for a dozen start-ups to meet this need in the next two months. Third, wash your hands first thing upon arriving, before meals, and during breaks. In addition, every employee should have a big bottle of hand sanitizer at their desk and use it frequently.
Fourth, sit six feet away from each other at work. Take the stairs, not the elevator. Spread out the chairs in the cafeteria. Have limits on restroom occupancy. And expand everyone’s job description to include wiping down door knobs and light switches with clorox wipes throughout the day, every day.
We Need To Get Back To Work
The best way to slow the spread of this virus is to follow some basic, simple rules. Staying home was necessary at first, to ease hospitalizations. The curve had to be flattened. But moving forward, we need to get back to work. Making work safe after Coronavirus requires following these safety guidelines in our everyday lives. There is no other option. We cannot afford to just stay home for the next six months “staying safe”.
Unless we plan on spending the next year quarantined at home, we need to roll up our sleeves and prepare to return to work (and school, and church). This virus is not going away any time soon. In fact, we should expect Covid-19 to rebound in the fall, when regular flu season starts up. There won’t be a vaccine ready this fall, so the risk will once again increase. We can be ready for it by applying safety rules now.
School and Church Need To Reopen
These same protocols will need to be followed at school and church. Starting this fall, schools should reopen. Their safety rules will look different, and quite frankly will be more difficult to carry out. Kids will need to wear masks and follow social distancing as much as possible. Our children are smart and know how to follow instructions. If we teach them how to stay safe, they will learn.
Online learning is a good backup, but kids need the socialization that school provides. They must get back to school as soon as possible. That may not be possible this school year, but it should certainly happen by August.
Religious institutions also must reopen, and the sooner the better. Americans are spiritual people. And our spiritual needs are just as important as our physical ones, probably more so. Let’s make some adjustments and get back to worshiping soon.
No Time For Complacency or Fear
We reopened our acupuncture clinic this week because we could do it safely and responsibly. Our patients need our care. All businesses need to start making risk assessments and plans for how they will reopen. It may not be this week for most businesses. But it should be soon. Maybe May 1st, June 1st or July 1st, depending on the progression of the virus in the general population. Let’s start making plans and preparations for returning to work, school and church.
It’s all too easy to get complacent in times like these. The self-employed will take the lead, out of necessity. Big employers will follow. Schools should be next. We will weather this storm. Making work safe after Coronavirus is critically important.
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