Essential businesses urged to adopt COVID-19 workplace guidelines

Apr 23, 2020 News

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Despite the partial lockdown and curfew implemented by the Ministry of Public Health, several categories of workers still have to venture out to work. These workers who are considered essential are constantly at risk, since they have to travel to and from work interacting with other individuals at various steps along the way.

They not only have to leave the safety of their homes, but they also stand a higher chance of infecting their colleagues once infected. As such the Ministry is asking all essential businesses to ensure that they are compliant with COVID-19 workplace guidelines to ensure the safety of all of their staff.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Boyle, explained to Kaieteur News that all essential businesses should adapt to the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s workplace guidelines which provide step-by-step instruction on the prevention of the Coronavirus in work environments.

The DCMO added that using those very guidelines, the Ministry crafted its own workplace guidelines for local businesses to follow. This, she said, was presented to the subject Minister to be presented to the COVID-19 taskforce.

Below is the full list of Guidelines set up by the Ministry:
WORK PLACE PREPARATIONS
1. Place hand sanitizer stations at entrances and exits to work places, offices, and waiting rooms
2. Do not use shared cloth towels, but rather, provide paper towels for the drying of hands
3. Encourage staff to wash or sanitize hands regularly – after each procedure, after using the bathroom, before eating, after dealing with members of the public
4. Avoid having more than 20 members of the public in an average size waiting area at any one time. To achieve this, preparation of an overflow area is recommended. This could be an adjoining area where seating can be made available for clients to wait.
5. Frequent sanitation of floors, workstations and telephones is required: Lysol, diluted bleach, or 70% alcohol based reagents are recommended
6. Staff who interact with members of the public can be protected using barriers such as glass or plastic screens that separate them from the public. Otherwise, social distancing should be observed, with at least a three feet distance maintained between persons
7. Staff required handling money, documents etc.,from members of the public should wash hands or sanitize regularly or use gloves and change them regularly.
8. Members of the public observed to be having respiratory illnesses should be provided with a mask and taken care of swiftly, and if possible, separately from others
STAFF ILLNESS
If staff appear to have a suspected case of COVID-19 at work they should:
• Separate themselves from others – at least 3ft/1m away (or in a separate room).
• Cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available) and be given a surgical mask to wear.
• Go home immediately. DO NOT go to a medical facility; wait for contact by staff doctors or call the COVID hotline for medical advice and/or attention.
• Remain home and separate themselves from the rest of the family, rest, use vitamin C, lots of fluids, and over the counter medication for fever and headache. Stay at home until completely better and all respiratory symptoms have gone.
• Advise their supervisor/HR by telephone or email in accordance with standard requirements for absence and sick leave.
When away from work, staff should:
• Notify your immediate supervisor or the Head of agency.
• Self-isolate: DO NOT go to a medical facility; call the COVID-19 hotline and wait for contact by the response team
• Remain home and separate yourself from the rest of the family, rest, use vitamin C, lots of fluids, and over the counter medication for symptoms such as fever and headache. Stay at home until completely better and all respiratory symptoms have gone
If staff has a probable case of COVID-19
The staff should inform his/her supervisor/head of agency whilst seeking treatment from authorized health personnel
Case Definitions
Suspect case
A. A patient with acute respiratory illness (fever and at least one sign/symptom of respiratory disease (e.g. Cough, shortness of breath) AND a history of travel to or residence in a country/area or territory reporting local transmission of COVID-19 during the 14 days prior to symptom onset; OR
B. A patient with any acute respiratory illness AND having been in contact (see Annex 2) with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case in the last 14 days prior to onset of symptoms; OR
C. A patient with severe acute respiratory infection (fever and at least one sign/symptom of respiratory disease (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) AND requiring hospitalization AND with no other aetiology that fully explains the clinical presentation.
Probable case
A suspect case of which testing for COVID-19 is inconclusive
Confirmed case
A person with laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 infection, irrespective of clinical signs and symptoms.

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