Business Reopening: Frequently Asked Questions for All Businesses

Businesses should be safe, smart, and proactive while reopening amidst the outbreak. Be sure to confirm with your local government if you can reopen. Follow all safety protocols like maintaining proper hygiene and social distancing, supplying necessary PPE, hand sanitizer, and wipes to your employees. Install signs at the entrance reminding customers about safety policies. Alter the business hours for the public. Limiting inside the premises people capacity is a great way to avoid crowding and keeping ample breathing space for everyone.

Routine cleaning and disinfection are vital for reducing the risk of infection to staff and visitors. Two types of frequently touched surfaces that need disinfection are:
- Hard, non-porous surfaces
- Soft, porous surfaces
CDC recommends cleaning and disinfection of glass, metal, and plastic objects that are frequently touched by staff and patrons. Some of the most common hard surfaces in business places are tables, doorknobs, door handles, light switches, countertops, desks, phones, keyboards, point of sale keypads, toilets, faucets and sinks, shopping carts, gas pump handles, touch screens, ATM machines, and more.
Soft objects including carpet, rugs, and seating are not very easy to clean and therefore, their cleaning should be done as per the directions on the item's label, using the warmest appropriate water setting.
Visibly dirty surfaces should be cleaned with soap and water before disinfection.

Businesses must chalk out a detailed plan that will help prevent crowding. Rearrange the setup in your facility to make sure people don’t gather at a particular point. Limiting the number of customers/visitors inside would be a good step to prevent crowding. Pedestrian traffic flow at every entrance must be guided by clear Entry Exit signage to show separate doors to be used for entrance and exit. Lay out social distancing footprint marks or other graphics on the floor to make people stand without being too close. Floor tapes, barricade tapes, traffic cones, stanchions and other kinds of separators should be used to arrange people in queques.

Talk to staff about the changes you’re adopting before implementing them publicly.
Tell employees about new business hours, new entrance and exit ways, new payment methods, or any other change in your facility. Ask staff to use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves, and practice increased sanitation. Staff should be trained on proper techniques of applying disinfectant on frequently touched surfaces. Instruct staff to promote safe interactions with visitors. If any staff member feels uncomfortable returning to work, they should stay home.