When the global pandemic brought the world to a standstill in early 2020, no one was prepared for its impacts on daily human life. And while many businesses have failed to adapt to the demands of the circumstances, many are continuing to battle against the virus.

The businesses that provide society with essential commodities and necessities prove themselves as the backbones of the country. This is because, without them, many communities might have already starved themselves to death and adding to the countless lives lost to the coronavirus.

But for these businesses to continue providing their services to the public, they will have to follow national protocols that the government implemented to reduce the spread of the infection. These are the same safety measures that you will need to enforce on your premises to serve the public.

Social Distancing Measures

The only relatively good thing about this pandemic is that it eliminated the habit of crowding in small spaces. This is because everyone has to be six feet apart to reduce the possibility of transmitting the virus among people, even when they have face masks.

Establishments that cannot operate through other methods besides face-to-face transactions can make do by controlling their environment. One way to do this is by limiting the number of people inside an enclosed space at a certain time. Another method is by creating partitions between people.

For instance, banks and restaurants that will require two people to be in proximity to each other can be separated with tabletop acrylic shields. These partitions that can be mounted on top of desks and counters are perfect to avoid transmitting the virus through droplets when people speak, sneeze, or cough.

Daily Disinfection Rituals

The coronavirus can easily spread through frequently touched public surfaces such as tables, switches, countertops, doorknobs, handles, desks, phones, toilets, and sinks, among others. This means that these surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected daily to minimize the possibility of transmissions.

There is a high probability of the COVID-19 virus being airborne, especially in small, indoor spaces, which makes disinfecting your establishment’s entire premises a must. This is because the microdroplets expelled through coughing or talking can float into the air as aerosol particles.

Availability of Sanitizing Stations

One of the most effective ways to reduce the possibility of transmissions is by washing the hands thoroughly with soap for a minimum of 20 seconds. This is even more important if the person has been in public and exposed to potential carriers of the virus.

However, because not everyone has access to clean water and antibacterial soap at all times, it’s vital to carry hand sanitizers that have at least 60% alcohol. Constantly using alcohol to disinfect the hands is a good way to minimize the risks when out in public.

That’s why you should be able to provide your customers with the option to sanitize their hands and shoes before entering your establishment. This is so the possibility of carrying the virus inside your premises and infecting others is lessened.

Contact Tracing Methods

Having a comprehensive database of all the contact information of people in your establishment on a specific date and time is important in controlling the spread of the virus. Contract tracing initiatives, when done and used right, have the potential to save lives.

But keeping a logbook inside your business premises can be more counter-effective because all your customers will have to hold the same pen throughout the day. This can increase the risks of transmission, which is what the contact tracing solution is hoping to avoid.

For a more efficient and effective method, you can implement a contactless procedure that your customers can access through their cellphones. An example is scanning QR codes that can redirect your customers to a form that they can answer to provide their contact information without sharing communal pens.

Body Temperature Testing

High body temperature can indicate symptoms of the virus, which is why testing your customers’ temperature is a must before you let them into your establishment. During these times, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

The entire process of checking your customer’s body temperature may seem redundant or ineffective, but it’s a good way to avoid an otherwise controllable situation from getting out of hand. This way, you can immediately and respectfully turn away customers with higher temperatures. The coronavirus pandemic has affected every nook and cranny of the world for the past year, but there is still no clear sign of the end. So until that fateful day arrives, all that you can do is hold your fortress by implementing safety protocols and hope that you don’t get unlucky by contracting the virus from your daily operations