Coronavirus – How to Stay Safe in an Office Environment?

This is a stressful time all around the world. Coronavirus is spreading like wildfire, and the number of cases being reported is steadily increasing day by day. Whatever race, nationality, or gender you belong to, you are not spared from this dreaded virus.

Unlike the various infections that you see around, the Coronavirus (COVID 19) spreads rapidly. This is the major reason why this has become a pandemic. Hence, staying safe, both inside and outside the house, is very important.

How Does Corona Spread?

The Coronavirus spreads through close contact with an infected person. It spreads when you touch surfaces that are contaminated by the virus. Coughing or sneezing by an infected person also results in the spread of the virus. Hence, taking all the precautions to contain the spread of the virus is very important.

Since the office is a very closed environment, there is a higher chance for you to contract the infection. Hence, all precautions should be taken in an office to ensure that the employees stay safe. Whatever the type of space is whether it is a serviced office in a business center, or a coworking space, a meeting room or conference room in Dubai, precautions should be taken.

What Are the Precautions to Take in an Office?

The Red Cross recommends the following precautions to contain the spread of the virus in a business center.

• Wash hands periodically: Your hands are the main source of infection. Hence, wash the hands often with soap and water to prevent the spread of the disease. Hands should be cleaned, before having food, after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose, and after coughing or sneezing.

  If you are on your way to work and cannot afford to use soap, then you can rely on an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to sanitize your hands. Keeping your hands clean helps fight the infection to a great extent.

• Avoid touching nose, mouth, and eyes: By touching the face with your contaminated hands, you are at risk of spreading the infection. Hence, as far as possible, you should try to refrain from touching sensitive areas like mouth, eyes, and nose.

• Disinfect all furniture and fixtures: All furniture and fixtures in the office are likely to be contaminated if an infected person touches it. Hence, you should get all the surfaces disinfected at periodic intervals. Special attention should be paid to the doorknobs, handles, telephone, bathroom sink, and toilet that are commonly shared by all employees. It is also best to get your personal items like computer, chair, and table also disinfected.

In addition to the above precautions, companies should also take the below preventive actions to contain the spread of the virus

• Employees who are infected with the virus should be quarantined. All those who have come in contact with the infected employee should also be kept in isolation.
• Employees should be provided with the opportunity to work from home. Fluidmeet has plenty of space options for those individuals who struggle to work out of home.
• Companies should restrict all official travel both within and outside the country.
• In the case of large companies, they should screen the visitors before letting them inside the office premises.

Companies should have a Coronavirus emergency team who would take the necessary actions in case any of the employees are infected. This team should be in charge of employee health and safety, leave, compensation, and hospitalization. Representatives from the various departments like HR, finance, and legal department should be made part of the team.

By exercising all safety precautions and screening the employees thoroughly, companies can protect their office from the possible hazards of Coronavirus.