COVID-19 Information

On January 30^th, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease “coronavirus disease 2019” (COVID-19), a public health emergency of international concern. Person-to-person spreading of the virus was first reported among people who were in close proximity to those in Wuhan, China.

Common Symptoms of COVID-19

2 to 14 days after exposure, the following symptoms may appear:

Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
Loss of smell

If you develop symptoms and have been in close contact with someone known to have COVID-19, or you’ve recently traveled from an area experiencing the spread of COVID-19, please consult with your doctor immediately.

Protect Yourself from COVID-19

As there’s currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, the best way to stay safe is to avoid exposure to the virus. That means:

Avoid close contact with those who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you’re sick.
Cover coughing and sneezing with a tissue and discard it in the trash immediately after.
Treat frequently touched objects and surfaces with standard cleaning and disinfecting agents routinely.
Do not wear a facemask if you are well. Face masks should be worn by people showing symptoms of COVID-10, as well as healthcare workers and those in close proximity to infected patients.
Wash your hands with soap and water, especially after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
Keep alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol handy for convenient cleaning when soap and water are unavailable.

How Businesses Can Help Keep Their Employees Safe from COVID-19

Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

Any employee showing signs of acute respiratory illness should stay home. They should stay out of the office until their fever is gone and they don’t show any signs of illness without medication for at least 24 hours.

Perform Routine Cleanings of Your Building

Every aspect of your workplace should be kept clean and sanitary, with professional cleanings scheduled regularly to clean desks, floors, countertops, doorknobs, bathrooms, eating spaces, and other areas. Commercial Cleaning Corporation uses state-of-the-art electrostatic disinfectant equipment and traditional cleaning methods to provide comprehensive cleaning solutions for all types of facilities. Electrostatic disinfecting is a fast and cost-effective supplement to standard cleaning regimens as a way of thoroughly applying sanitizers and disinfectants to surfaces, regardless of the shape or angle of the surface in question.

Take Precautions Before Traveling

If you or your employees travel outside of the US, check the CDC Traveler’s Health page for news, updates, guidance, and recommendations for each country you or your team will visit. If any employees are showing any signs of acute respiratory illness, they should notify their supervisor. If there is any indication at all that an employee is sick, they should not travel!

Emphasize Respiratory Etiquette and Hand Hygiene

Make your stance on sick employees staying home clear, and provide your employees with helpful CDC-issued guidelines for proper respiratory illness etiquette and hand hygiene. Provide easy access to tissues and hands-free waste containers for all employees. People should keep their hands clean with alcohol-based hand sanitizers or by washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. For visibly dirty hands, soap and water are most effective.

How Does COVID-19 spread?How Does COVID-19 spread?

The virus mainly spreads through person-to-person transmission. The virus can travel through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes and land in the mouths and nostrils of passersby.

Can people spread the virus without being sick?Can people spread the virus without being sick?

It’s believed that people are most contagious when they are at their sickest, or when their symptoms are most severe. It may be possible for the virus to spread before someone has shown symptoms, but this is not the primary method of spreading. However, many people exposed to COVID-19 are asymptomatic so practicing social distancing and wearing PPE are very important to help control the outbreak.

Can the virus be spread by touching infected surfaces or objects?Can the virus be spread by touching infected surfaces or objects?

It is possible that a person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that’s been contaminated by the virus, but this is not the primary method of spreading.

How severe is the COVID-19 illness?How severe is the COVID-19 illness?

The offending viruses, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, have been known to cause severe illnesses in people. So far, scientists and medical professionals don’t have enough data about COVID-19 to completely understand it. Reported cases of illness range anywhere from mild to severe, and there have been cases where illness resulted in death. A report from China suggests that 16% of cases involve serious illness. Those who are at risk of a serious illness linked to COVID-19 are older people with certain underlying health conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes.