In a webinar aimed at local business owners, Alexandria Dept. of Health Director Stephen Haering encouraged businesses to stay open and active – but also to make contingency plans should the novel coronavirus COVID-19 affect employees.
“This is a continuously evolving situation,” Haering said. “But this is not like the infectious disease apocalypse. This is something we do have a lot of control over. It’s going to be a bumpy road, but we do have a lot of control.”
For businesses, this means putting plans in place to ensure operations continue as smoothly as possible.
Haering recommended taking a look at what business functions are absolutely critical and should be stepped up versus things that could be cut back or temporarily eliminated should employees need to stay home.
For some businesses, telecommuting may be an option they can offer.
The Virginia Dept. of Health is working on guidance for businesses, and that should be available soon. For now, as long as a business has enough staff to operate and is taking proper health precautions, there is no reason to close, Haering said.
(You can watch a recording of the entire Visit Alexandria webinar here.)
Prevention
The best prevention remains to wash your hands. “Just running your hands under water for a few seconds won’t do it,” Haering noted.
This coronavirus is transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets, which can travel through the air via coughing or sneezing. Someone can also catch the virus by touching objects that have the virus on it and then touching their own nose, mouth or eyes. Washing your hands and trying to avoid touching your nose and mouth (keep tissues handy!) can help a lot.
Businesses that may be running low on cleaning supplies may make their own: To prepare a bleach solution, mix 5 tablespoons of bleach (or one-third of a cup) with one gallon of water. To make a smaller batch, use 4 teaspoons of bleach in a quarter of water. The mixture can be put into a spray bottle.
Other steps businesses and individuals can take:
- Wash your hands well with clean water and plenty of soap for at least 20 seconds.
- When soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol (60%) hand sanitizer.
- Disinfect surface frequently.
- Avoid shaking hands with people. (Use an Elbow Bump or similar.)
- Keep your distance from other people – around 6 feet when you can if that person may be ill.
- This virus does not seem to travel through heating/air conditioning systems.
Signs and symptoms include fever (actual fever or just feeling feverish), cough and shortness of breath. Additional symptoms can include body aches, fatigue, sore throat, and in some cases a person may also have a headache and possibly diarrhea.
Right now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) does not recommend mask use for the general public for a few reasons: Using masks actually requires training in terms of putting it on and taking it off – plus, proper usage requires getting a “fit test,” which requires certain equipment. In addition, Haering said, wearing a mask can provide a false sense of security.
Online Resources
Visit Alexandria will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, plan for a possible impact on local tourism, and work with the City and the state on how to best be prepared. Here are some key resources to review so your business can best be prepared:
- CDC’s COVID-19 website
- City of Alexandria’s response to COVID-19
- Alexandria Health Department website
- Virginia Department of Health’s website
- CDC’s printable fact sheets you can post at your business
- PCMA’s information for meetings and groups
- U.S. Travel Association’s comprehensive information for the travel industry
Comparing to Other Illnesses
This coronavirus, which seems to be new to the human species, has a much lower fatality rate than other respiratory coronaviruses. To put this in perspective, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) had an 8 to 9 percent fatality rate, Haering noted, and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) had a 36 to 38 percent fatality rate. This coronavirus has a fatality rate of around 2 percent, which is significantly higher than the annual flu, but not nearly as high as other global illnesses.
More information will be available in the coming days and weeks as the situation continues to evolve. Keep an eye on the Alexandria Health Department website at alexandriava.gov/Health.
