Prior Proper Planning For The Coronavirus Crisis

During the current Coronavirus crisis, we are all being forced to operate in ways we have not previously considered. While many of us have the luxury of having some members of our team work remotely, we may also be dealing with how to operate in a team or group environment either on a job or at the beginning of the workday.

If you are currently dealing with groups, I am sure you are practicing frequent and effective handwashing, no handshaking, coughing into a tissue or your elbow, no touching of your face, proper social distancing and staying at home if you don’t feel well.

You should also be putting plans in place in the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case with a member of your team and potential quarantine. The recommendation from most federal and state entities is to quarantine for 14 days and to have your facility deep cleaned. Your state may have different recommendations so stay informed and stay safe.

In addition to the generic recommendations, I would like to share other more specific suggestions with you and your teams.

-Create an email distribution list for team members and vendors for quick communication.

-Create and share a list of 14-day quarantine requirements to share with the team if they become impacted.

-Create signs for a potential temporary closure created (soft copy) and save them in the event they are needed (as well as the list of locations the signs will be posted). 

-Create a phone list of all possible impacted team members for purposes of checking on them during the quarantine.

-Have protocol for the frequency of contact with impacted supervisors (phone number list, day(s) and time(s) for communication, expectations of supervisors for checking on their teams, discussion of unforeseen events, etc.)

-Identify a cleaning company in the event of quarantine.

-Create a list of “what if’s” and “how to respond” for ongoing events such as “who will collect and distribute snail mail.”

-Identify the potential public relations issues to consider such as notifying the news outlets of the quarantine before they find out second hand.

I would also like to suggest being proactive in speaking with your teams about planning ahead for a possible quarantine event. While this needs to be done carefully so as not to create anxiety, these conversations should probably take place sooner rather than later. In Florida, a month or two before hurricane season begins, the news outlets will actually begin discussing how to assemble your hurricane preparedness kit which is basically items you and your family would need to survive for a week in the event of a hurricane and the things associated with it such as a loss of electrical power and other services. In California they have earthquake kits. In Oklahoma they have tornado kits. Below is an example of a kit to give you an idea of a basic emergency kit:

Basic Disaster Supplies Kit

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:

• Water - one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
• Food - at least a 14-day supply of non-perishable food
• Dust masks or other masks
• Hand sanitizer, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Prescription medications
• Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, fever reducers, etc.
• Glasses and contact lens solution
• Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

While this list is NOT all-inclusive, it does provide a starting point for all team members. Individual situations will dictate other items. 

Another consideration for team members is planning on how they might quarantine themselves from their other family members if they receive notice that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should self-quarantine. 

Finally, consider having these directions saved into a single document so it can be printed off and distributed to each team member in the event of a confirmed case. As with hurricane kits, the goal is that we will never have to use them, but a little pre-planning can help you and your team members a lot during a crisis.