How to Protect Yourself and Your Office from the Coronavirus

May 26, 2020

The coronavirus, first identified in China in December 2019, is rapidly spreading and causing high alarm among people across the world. People are now wondering how to keep their homes and workplace safe from the virus.

The current outbreak of the coronavirus was first identified among people in Wuhan City, China. More recently, the virus started to spread from person to person when people from the virus-affected area traveled to other areas.

What Are the Symptoms of the Coronavirus?

It is challenging to confirm the coronavirus infection as its symptoms strongly resemble the symptoms of the common flu. The main symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty in breathing.

How Is the Coronavirus Transmitted?

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that coronaviruses are transmitted through the air when the patient sneezes or coughs. The virus can also spread if you keep close personal contact with anyone infected. The good news is that using disinfectants to clean your home and office can kill these viruses.

How Can You Keep Yourself and Your Office Safe from the Coronavirus?

There is no vaccine developed against the coronavirus yet, as it has been identified only recently. Therefore, the best way to prevent coronavirus infection is to avoid its exposure. CDC recommends these measures to safeguard against the coronavirus.

Frequently wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth.
Avoid close contact with infected people.
Stay at home if you are sick.
Use a tissue to cover your mouth while you sneeze or cough and safely throw them away.
Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Wear a cloth face covering in public settings
Maintain at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others
If you are coming from the affected area, make sure to get yourself quarantined on military bases until the incubation period of the virus (up to 14 days) is over.

If you are an employer, you should follow these measures to contain the spread of viruses in your office.

Limit Surfaces That Employees Need to Touch with Their Hands

Ask your employees to use their foot or shoulder to push open the door, as many office doors don’t need a handle to push open and can swing open both ways.
Install motion sensors in all the doors of your office, including bathroom faucets. It will help your employees in washing their hands without touching the faucet.

Embrace Technology

Invest in designing an office space that embraces collaboration technology and remote work. Employees working from home can help reduce the chances of cross-infection among employees.
Provide personal phones, tablets, and laptops to your employees. Giving every employee their own devices will help them avoid sharing keyboards, computers, or phones, which can help in reducing the spread of the virus.

Keep the Sanitizer Handy

Keep sanitizer in the reception area, shared spaces, and conference room of your office.
You can also use signs to encourage your employees to sanitize their hands regularly.

Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

If any of your employees have symptoms of acute respiratory illness, recommend them to stay at home.
Make sure that they do not come to the office until they are free from signs of fever and other symptoms for at least 24 hours without using any medicine.

Please keep your office or any other type of work environment clean to help prevent the further spread of infections, including the coronavirus. If you want office cleaning services, call us today for high quality customized commercial cleaning services at an affordable rate.