Dear Teton County Business Owners,
The Teton County Health Department is recommending all citizens take steps to limit unnecessary interactions between people. It is important for businesses to continue to provide valuable services to the community while enabling your customers and employees to practice social distancing. The CDC has recommended the following precautions:
- Actively encourage sick employees to stay home. Prevent the spread of illness within your business by having a non-punitive, flexible illness policy that allows ill employees to remain at home. Ill employees may have trouble getting a healthcare provider’s note as healthcare facilities restrict services to non-emergency situations. Employees who develop symptoms during work hours should be sent home.
- Minimize exposure between employees with each other and the public. Consider flexible worksites and flexible work hours in order to reduce contact between individuals. Allowing employees to work from home or to work flexible hours will reduce the chance of spreading illness between employees by reducing the number of people in your business at one time. You should also evaluate what interaction with the general public is actually necessary. You should also provide options to the public who are practicing social distancing, such as doing curbside pick-up for food or changing in-person meetings to phone calls.
- Provide a hygienic workplace. Employees should always have access to handwashing facilities and frequently touched surfaces (doorknobs, workstations, countertops, points of sale, menus) should be wiped down with a disinfecting wipe multiple times per day. A solution of 1 gallon of water and 1/3rd cup of bleach will be sufficient for disinfecting surfaces.
- Spread awareness. Use reliable sources to relay accurate information to your employees and customers so they can make informed, measured decisions. The CDC has several one-page fact sheets that should be posted around your establishment. They can all be found here, though we would recommend providing the What You Need To Know sheet to employees and posting the Symptoms of Coronavirus and Stop the Spread of Germs in visible locations. Keep up to date on the CDC’s guidance for employers. Additionally, a printable flyer on social distancing has been attached.
- Manage employee stress. Uncertainty about the pandemic can cause stress or anxiety in your workforce. Work with your employees to develop and implement a plan that addresses the above guidance. Employees should know how the business will deal with increased absenteeism and a change in demands in their lives, such as the sudden need for childcare.
Please contact the Teton County Health Department at 466-2562 if you have questions, or would like to discuss any specific modifications that you business can take. We are happy to help!