Every time you think it’s safe to plan and put Covid on the back burner, another subspecies will pop up and undermine your efforts.
This time it is a variant of BA.5, a subvariant of Omicron, the most contagious version of the virus to date. This strain reinfects a person who has already dealt with a previous variant once or twice. While the numbers are significantly lower than at the peak of the winter Omicron wave, hospitalizations have nearly doubled since May, with more than 400 Americans dying each day.
So it’s no surprise that some employers may be putting their return-to-office plans on hold. But before that, consider a few things first.
Consider that many people still think pandemic restrictions are a good idea.
Most adults (6 in 10) believe the worst of the pandemic is over, according to a March poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit health policy researcher. But there is still disagreement about what the return to normalcy will look like and when it should happen. So it’s no surprise that employees have different opinions about what returning to work should look like.
A majority of adults also worry that lifting some pandemic restrictions could leave immunocompromised people behind, as they increase their risk of getting sick. Half said that the easing of restrictions could lead to more deaths in their communities, or that local hospitals could be overwhelmed, making it impossible for them to get the medical care they personally need. I am concerned.
Most cities are unlikely to reinstate mask mandates and other protective measures used early in the pandemic, so it’s up to employers themselves to ensure employee safety. This means employers need to reconsider office and work environments, such as ventilation, vaccination coverage, community transmission and hospitalization.
Stay up-to-date on local infection levels.
Viruses can originate in hot spots where local infection rates fluctuate over time. Substantial infection is defined as 50-100 cases per 100,000 or 8-10% positivity rate. High infection is defined as >100 cases per 100,000 population or >10% positivity rate. So it’s important to know if your business is in a hot spot.
When it comes to researching your area for the most accurate Covid information, look locally first. One of the first things to do is contact your local chamber of commerce and city health officials. is. You may have data on infection levels in hospitals and communities. Also, check out what other businesses in the area are doing regarding keeping doors open and imposing mask mandates.
There are also private medical institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic and Northwell Health’s Coronavirus Digital Resource Center, which use data from a variety of sources to track pandemics, vaccines and other efforts to protect people from Covid-19. method is recommended. In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides individual state community profile reports and trends in vaccines, hospital capacity, and test results. To get an accurate picture of Covid in a region, the more sources the better.
Make sure your employees are aware of the new office protocols.
If your employees are guarding your office, it doesn’t hurt to remind them that safety procedures are in place. Whether you’re cleaning your space more frequently or you’re installing sanitation stations, let your employees know. Asked specifically how employees can safely return to the office, his 2021 survey by the American Cleaning Coalition, an organization representing contract cleaning professionals nationwide, found that regular sanitization I found it important. The following criteria also ranked high: Improved communication regarding Covid-19 protocols. Communicate hand sanitizer stations and appropriate signage and regulations.
With high levels of infection, stepping up your mask game can become even more important to your team’s health and wellness. If the majority of your staff have not been vaccinated, or if you have immunocompromised employees in your workplace, we recommend that you ask your staff to wear a face mask when entering the office.
