As a business owner and employer, we at Bio SoCal know one of your top priorities is the smooth running of day-to-day affairs and the well-being of your employees. However, with COVID-19 spreading around the world, there is hardly any aspect of life left untouched by the virus. From shopping for groceries, to spending time with friends, to going to work, our lives are vastly different than they were just a few short weeks ago.

One of the issues many employers are now facing is what to do if an employee comes down with COVID-19. With cases steeply climbing, it is a reality many businesses are already having to deal with. Whether you run a small company with just a few employees or an extensive warehouse, the process of taking care of all employees is much the same, albeit on a much wider scale for larger companies.

If An Employee Comes To Work With COVID-19 Symptoms

If an employee comes to work with symptoms associated with COVID-19 or lets you know they have tested positive for the virus, the following steps need to be taken:

1. When you first learn an employee has tested positive for CODID-19 or has come down with the symptoms, you need to immediately send them home to quarantine themselves if they are not home or at a medical facility already. There is no need to report the case to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as that is the responsibility of the employee’s healthcare provider.
2. Have the employee write out all the names of people they have had close, personal contact with (six feet or less) for as short of time as a few minutes in the last 14 calendar days. You need to then immediately notify everyone on that list that a co-worker has tested positive for COVID-19 and they were listed as someone who shared the same physical space. (Always keep the employee’s name private in order to stay in compliance with confidentiality laws.) Immediately send everyone on this list home to self-quarantine and monitor for any symptoms for the next fourteen days.
3. Once everyone affected has been sent home, let all employees know that a co-worker has tested positive for COVID-19 and they, along with all affected co-workers, have already been sent home. If they were not notified, they were not someone who had close contact with the individual in question. Be reassuring to your employees and let them know you are taking every step possible to protect them. If it is possible for people to do their jobs remotely, send home as many as you can to telework in order to cut down on further infections. Keep in mind that this can be scary news to the employees still at work and that they will talk and wonder amongst themselves about who is infected. Explain to them you understand their fears and are there for them if they need to talk. Reassure them you are taking these measures out of an abundance of caution.
4. Cordon off all areas the affected employees worked, took breaks, used the restroom, etc. until they can be cleaned and disinfected. A person infected with COVID-19 can pass on the virus through surfaces they’ve touched for as long as several days depending on the type of material.
5. Arrange for professional cleaning of all affected areas including the immediate and surrounding work areas, restrooms, and break rooms. Make sure all spaces are cleaned first then disinfected. Without first removing the dirt, dust, and grime from a surface, the disinfectant can’t rid the space of all the viruses present on the materials in question. Professional cleaners with a quality track record in infectious disease cleanup know how to protect themselves and all involved from further infection while making sure your business is safe.
6. Continually clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces as a daily prevention practice.
7. Have all employees left at the work site continue to monitor themselves for any symptoms.

As the situation with the coronavirus develops and we find new ways of doing business and living our lives, preventing further infection is key to getting back to regular business as quickly as possible. Being a business owner and employer, you can play a key role in creating a calm and healthy environment for yourself and your employees.

For further information, see the CDC’s “Resources for Businesses and Employers.”

Bio SoCal, along with many others, is working hard on preventing the further spread of COVID-19. Using an interactive global map created by John Hopkins University that is updated regularly, we’ve been able to watch as it grows and spreads in our area of the world while also learning how many people have died in an area and how many have already recovered from confirmed cases.

As the #1 trusted infectious disease cleanup specialists throughout Los Angeles and the Southern California area, we are continuing to offer infectious disease cleanup wherever and whenever we are needed. Available around the clock, our teams of experienced professionals are always on-call and ready to help you by applying disinfectant to an affected property.

We know there are a lot of questions as we deal with this COVID-19 outbreak and Bio SoCal is here to make sure you get the answers you need.

How do I prevent being infected with the coronavirus?

Bio SoCal is always here whenever infectious disease cleanup is needed. The best cure, however, is prevention so to keep the virus as limited as possible, we want to encourage everyone to do their best in taking the needed steps to keep you and your family safe. As is the case whenever infectious diseases are particularly active, the best prevention for most people is basic hygiene and cleanliness. This includes:

• Frequently washing your hands for at least 20 seconds and using hand sanitizer when hand washing is not available
• Not touching you mouth, nose, or eyes with your hands—even at home
• Wiping down all surfaces on a daily basis such as arm rests, doorknobs, counter tops, water faucets, tables, cupboards, and surfaces in your vehicle
• Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and washing your hands directly afterward
• Staying home except for trips to the grocery store and for needed supplies
• Staying home completely if you are feeling sick
• Wiping down your groceries and any packages
• Refraining from shaking hands and touching other people

If you are someone whose immune system is compromised or you have an ongoing health condition such as heart issues, respiratory problems, or diabetes, stay home and ask others to bring groceries or have them delivered by the store. It is important for everyone to keep their exposure to others to a minimal amount but it’s especially true for someone who already has heath challenges and for all those who live with them. Even if you don’t become sick, those around you are far more vulnerable to catching the disease.

How contagious is the coronavirus?

In comparison to the common flu, the coronavirus seems to be more contagious though scientists don’t fully understand yet how it is being spread. We do know it travels through moisture droplets such as when someone coughs or sneezes and the resulting fluid can reach as far as six feet. There is also anecdotal evidence the virus can be transmitted through the air to those nearby. Transmitting the virus from one person to another typically requires close personal contact or touching an infected surface.

The coronavirus also differs from the flu by having a higher mortality rate. Though numerous factors go into how severe the disease will be for a person such as age and any underlying health conditions, more people die of the coronavirus than they do from the flu by a wide margin.

The coronavirus needs to be taken seriously and steps need to be taken to limit the spread as much as possible.

Do you clean an area infected with the coronavirus?

Yes, Bio SoCal is always here to apply disinfectant to any areas infected with the coronavirus. While Bio SoCal always does a thorough job in any work we do and we are confident in the products we use, there is a lot that is still unknown about this virus. Because the coronavirus is so new, there is no company that can make a 100% claim their cleaning chemical is effective against the new strand of coronavirus as there just hasn’t been time for thorough testing. It takes at least six months of lab testing before the EPA will grant the certification as a coronavirus disinfectant and we are only four months into the outbreak. There are even varying opinions on how long the virus can live on a surface outside of a living host. The EPA has certified cleaning agents against the previously existing strands of coronavirus but have not yet been able to make a claim about this new strand. You can check their website to see a current list of disinfectants to use.

While the Environmental Protection Agency conducts their testing against this new strand, we will continue to use the best products in the industry with full confidence while we keep careful track of all the latest developments. Your protection and safety are always our number one priority and it will continue to be the value we put first.

If you are working on keeping surfaces disinfected to prevent coronavirus infections, make sure you clean a surface of all dirt first then use the disinfectant. A disinfectant isn’t fully effective unless the surface is cleaned first. Depending on the surface material, the coronavirus can live outside of a human host for a couple of hours to several days. To see specific time spans for surfaces such as glass, cardboard, stainless steel, copper, and plastic, check the article by USA Today featuring findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

What do I do if I think I have the coronavirus?

If you think you have the coronavirus, have recently traveled to one of the main centers of infection, or been in contact with someone who is infected with the virus, the best thing to do if your symptoms aren’t severe is to stay home and quarantine yourself. Call your primary care physician or an urgent health clinic so they can monitor your condition and test you for the virus if possible. If your symptoms are more severe, call your local hospital or clinic before going in as they may have specific instructions for you or a different entrance to use so no one else becomes infected.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• fever
• cough
• difficulty breathing
• Loss of taste and smell

Want more information?

For more information on the coronavirus, please check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).