The economic chaos created by the coronavirus virus pandemic was extremely troubling. It had forced countries into lockdowns. Businesses closed down and stock values of large companies dropped to historic lows.

While we don’t know how long this epidemic will last, the government is making significant progress in lowering the incidence and controlling the rate.

In fact, businesses are starting to reopen and people are returning to their daily lives. This article may be relevant to you if you are a business owners and you are now preparing to reopen.

To protect your assets from the financial impact of the Coronavirus, the best way is to get your profit rate to normal. This guide should help you. Let’s get started!

A. FIRST THINGS.

There are many things to do before you get started on reopening your doors.

1. Government updates

What does the federal government or the state have to say regarding the nature of your company? Is it permitted for your business or office to reopen operations and resume them?

They were allowed to keep open establishments they deemed important (such as grocery stores, pharmacies, or hospitals). They were required to keep open and provide service to the public.

They also have strict guidelines for businesses not required to comply.

2. The need to reopen

It doesn’t really matter if your business needs to be essential. If your employees can work remotely, you can still maintain your operations.

Non-essential institutions were closed to protect people’s safety and force them to stay indoors. Your employees as well your patrons will be affected.

It’s possible to have your employees work remotely. You can also conduct your transactions online. Actually, this is what we recommend to you before you resume physical operations of your company.

Get your records updated. Review your inventory. Make sure to monitor your employees’ health. Do your risk assessment.

The next topic that we’ll discuss is risk assessment. The following steps are important to follow:

1. Identify the hazards that exist at your place.

Are there any common areas in your workplace where more people gather? Is it more popular with outsiders than other rooms in the office? Do you have a store that gets a lot from outsiders?

2. Assess which employees are most at high risk.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), has created a handbook containing risk levels based on different job categories. OSHA says there are four types of risk levels.

3. Low risk

These employees are not required to have much contact with the public. They do not necessarily have to be near their coworkers.

For example, warehouse workers won’t have to get in touch with customers. They can still do their job and keep a distance of six inches from their coworkers.

4. Medium risk

These employees don’t need to be in direct contact with the public. But they must still be close enough (less than six feet) for their coworkers to do their job well.

Clerical employees don’t usually have direct contact, but because they are so far apart, they won’t be able avoid being in close contact their co-employees.

5. High risk

These are employees that have to communicate with the general population a lot. These include healthcare assistants, nurses, and couriers. These people are often considered to be the front line.

6. Very high risk

These employees have to deal with people at high risk of contracting the disease. These people include doctors and nurses, lab technicians, and other workers in the morgue.

7. Assess the risks

Once your employees have been identified as potentially dangerous, it is now time to evaluate their data.

What risk is possible? What are the potential consequences of these risks? What are the steps you can take in order to reduce risk?

Are the possible negative consequences and risks worth the benefits?

1. Sanitize

Make sure to clean your entire shop or office. For a thorough clean, hire professionals to help.

You can also improve indoor air quality at your work place. Clean air filters. To ensure proper ventilation, get air movers.

2. With employees

Now is the time to follow up on employees. You should not allow the sick to return to work. Establish clear guidelines that your employees must follow.

Ask them to practice social distancing . They should be discouraged from touching other employees’ devices (such as phones, desks, or other office tools), and, if possible ask them to disinfect their tools after every use.

However, cubicles or workstations must be spaced at least six to eight feet apart. In addition, sanitation stations must be set up with unlimited access to disinfecting wipes, alcohol-based hand soaps, and other amenities.

You can also reduce your employee count by creating multiple shifts. Additionally, it is possible to try to minimize contact between employees. Instead of meeting in person, you could host them online.

3. Provide personal protective gear

Provide personal protective gear (or PPE), for employees who cannot avoid direct contact with the general population. It will be a great help in preventing disease.

4. Partner with customers

People working in hospitality and retail are at greatest risk, as they deal with customers almost every day. Consider including them in your insurance policies.

Each client who enters your store should have their temperature checked by an employee. It is not a good idea to allow anyone who is ill in your store. It is also important to prohibit anyone from entering your store without wearing a mask. Keep a check on the number of people who are in your store at any time.

Based on your establishment’s size, limit your capacity to five to ten guests at a given time. Remind them about social distancing practices and, if you can, give them visual guides.

Tape can be used as a guideline to help people determine how far apart they should place themselves from one another when paying. You should also provide disposal bins and sanitation stations for your customers.