As New York’s cities, communities, and businesses continue to reopen, we must remember that COVID-19 has not yet been eliminated.
Without a vaccine, the danger is still present. And as the streets, stores, and subways of NYC start to fill up again, taking extra safety precautions is more important than ever.
Businesses planning to reopening are required to follow a set of mandatory safety protocols outlined by New York State, and those not following them could be fined.
Below is the list of the mandatory protocols relating to hygiene and cleaning. (You can find the full guidelines here.)
Mandatory Guidelines For COVID-19 Hygiene & Cleaning
- Adhere to hygiene and sanitation requirements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health (DOH) and maintain cleaning logs on site that document date, time, and scope of cleaning.
- Provide and maintain hand hygiene stations for personnel, including handwashing with soap, water, and paper towels, as well as an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol for areas where handwashing is not feasible.
- Provide and encourage employees to use cleaning/disinfecting supplies before and after use of shared and frequently touched surfaces, followed by hand hygiene.
- Ensure gloves are worn while handling any food products.
- Sanitize hands before and after transferring a load (e.g. truckload) of merchandise
- Conduct regular cleaning and disinfection at least after every shift, daily, or more frequently as needed, and more frequent cleaning and disinfection of shared objects (e.g. registers) and surfaces, as well as high transit areas, such as payment devices, pickup areas, restrooms, and common areas.
- Cleaning and disinfecting of the retail location, shared surfaces, and other areas, as well as equipment, should be performed using Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) products identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective against COVID-19.
- If cleaning and disinfection products, or the act of cleaning and disinfecting, causes safety hazards or degrades the material or machinery, personnel should have access to a hand hygiene station between use and/or be supplied with disposable gloves.
- Prohibit shared food and beverages (e.g. buffet-style meals).
Additional COVID-19 Safety Practices (Recommended)
- Prepare a plan for receipt and resale of returned merchandise, or modify policies to ensure the safety of employees and customers.
- Wherever possible, increase ventilation of outdoor air (e.g. opening windows and doors) while maintaining safety precautions.
- Encourage employees to bring lunch from home and reserve adequate space for employees to observe social distancing while eating meals.
While this list seems long and complicated, many of the protocols are common sense practices to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Following these safety protocols will help keep your stores, offices, and facilities safe and virus-free for you, your employees, and your customers.