Guidelines for Office Prevention of COVID-19 Translated from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
As scientists are deepening their understanding of COVID-19, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has developed guidelines for office prevention and control of the virus. As the epidemic started to spread around the United States, EnvGuide translated these guidelines so that US companies can take the recommendations to promote their own office prevention.
- Establish a personal health report system and require that staff must immediately report and stay at home when she/he or any of their family members have any of the suspicious symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat, chest tightness, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, muscle soreness, etc. It is also recommended that they seek medical advice as soon as possible.
- A temperature monitoring station should be set up at the entrance of the office and staff entering and leaving the office should check their temperature. If their temperature exceeds 37.3 ℃, the staff member shall be isolated at home and if the staff has other serious symptoms, she/he should seek medical advice.
- In the office, ventilation should be strengthened to maintain indoor air circulation. Natural ventilation is preferred. If air conditioning is used, the air conditioning system should be guaranteed to provide safe air. Ensure adequate fresh air input, and direct all exhaust to the outdoors. When the air conditioning and ventilation system are an all-air system, the return air valves should be closed.
- The office shall be equipped with hand-washing facilities and hand sanitizer. If possible, inductive hand disinfection equipment should be installed.
- Regularly clean and disinfect public goods and public areas (including floors, corridors, toilets, elevators, etc.).
- Keep the environment clean and remove garbage in time.
- When there are many people in the same room, it is recommended for individuals to wear disposable surgical masks and keep a distance of more than 1 meter.
- Employees should keep their hands clean. Moreover, they should reduce contact with public goods, wash their hands when returning from public places, if they cough into their hands, before meals, and after the toilet. Employees should not touch their mouth, nose and eyes with unwashed hands.
- Suggest the staff to live a healthy lifestyle, which includes exercising and avoiding sitting for a long time.
- During the epidemic period, it is recommended that meetings be held via the Internet, remote video, telephone, etc., with none or less centralized meetings be held in general.
- Companies that serve meals together should pay attention to food safety and hygiene. It is recommended to adopt separate meals, different dining hours and other forms to avoid gathering for meals. Tableware should also be more frequently disinfected.
As China has its own way for preventing and controlling the COVID-19, this guideline has been translated as a list of recommendations and US companies may establish their own prevention plan based on their own specific circumstances.
Figures in the article are from Chinese CDC.
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