Coronavirus Precautions In The Workplace — Aegis Capital Corp.
With all of the concern we are currently seeing surrounding the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), a reasonable level of concern for one’s hygiene and health practice is necessary. It goes without saying that transmissible illness is at the forefront of most people’s minds right now. At Aegis Capital Corp., a major concern is the health of our employees and clients. We want to make sure that our teams and customers are protected from health issues pertaining to both the coronavirus (COVID-19) and other illnesses, such as the flu, around this time of year. With that being said, Anthony Lapadula, a managing director of one of Aegis’ largest offices across the country shares 5 ways you can prevent illness from affecting yourself and your loved ones.
First, let’s get some facts out of the way. While most people today are referring to COVID-19 as “coronavirus,” the correct term for the illness being referred to within news outlets is, in fact, COVID-19. The term “coronavirus” is a blanket term used to refer to a host of viruses that we as a species have encountered throughout the years. These viruses range from SARS, MERS and even the common cold which is technically a coronavirus. At Aegis, we often say that “worry” and “panic” are wasted emotions. Fear and cautionary attitudes can be helpful in determining danger in one’s path, but it is best to approach the emotions of fear with a logical, comprehensive and reasonable approach. “Worry” and “panic” are often very unhelpful to an individual’s thought process once the emotions of fear have taken hold,in fact they can be a downright hindrance. Let’s consider a few things. At the time of this writing, the CDC estimates that between the time of October 1, 2019, and February 22, 2020, flu illness has caused between 310,000 to 560,000 hospitalizations, and between 18,000 to 46,000 deaths with up to 45,000,000 people having contracted the virus. You canfact check these stats by reading the write up by the CDC on their website, here. While we will not compare the numbers of flu cases to COVID-19 cases here (most of us know the rough estimates thanks to news media), the numbers speak for themselves. Now, let’s move on to what we can all do to better safeguard ourselves and loved ones around us.
- Washing Your Hands
This might sound silly and obvious, however, most people either don’t know the proper way to wash or are simply not washing enough. The CDC has put out a guide on exactly how to do this correctly. First, you must wash your hands before, during and after preparing food, contact with others, and after travel (even if that travel is just picking up the mail from the mailbox). Lather your hands with soap back and forth, around your fingers and under the nails. It is imperative that you scrub for at least 20 seconds. A great way to ensure that you have washed your hands for 20 seconds minimum, is to sing or hum the “Happy Birthday” tune to yourself while washing. Finally, dry your hands immediately and thoroughly.
2. Stay Home When You are Sick
Often we see ourselves and colleagues coming to work, while feeling under the weather, to avoid missing days or workload. If you think that you might be infected with flu, common cold, or worse, it is a terrible idea to come to the office. You are putting your colleagues in jeopardy in addition to the people that you commute with. Your personal future workloads will become impacted, along with your colleague’s workloads. If you notify your office in advance, there is a good chance you can figure out a way to do your job remotely, until you are feeling better or become cleared by a doctor. In light of the current situation, we suggest getting clearance from a medical professional before returning to work.
3. Maintain Social Distancing
It is extremely important to keep at least 3+ feet away from people who are coughing or sneezing. When people cough and sneeze, they emit contagious fluids out of their mouth and nose, commonly referred to as “droplets”. These droplets can travel quickly to your face and skin if you are within the vicinity of someone that is infected. This can lead to you breathing in or contracting the contagion. If you work in the business world, sometimes handshakes are unavoidable. Remember to wash hands thoroughly and follow precautions if this type of contact becomes necessary. Also keep in mind, that a nonchalant “fist-bump” or “elbow-bump” can be a good way to engage others without necessarily creating the levels of exposure that a typical handshake might.
4. Try Not to Touch Face, Mouth, Nose or Eyes Often
Your hands are constantly touching multiple surfaces (many of them unclean) without you realizing. Did you know that some of these surfaces can contain all types of bacteria and viruses? If a surface has any sort of contagion on it and you touch it, you can easily transfer the virus to your eyes, nose, and mouth, without even thinking about it. These are the areas that allow the virus to enter your body with relative ease and make you sick.
5.Try to Think About The Things That You’re NOT Regularly Thinking About
Let’s face it, one of the best ways to remain vigilant, and stay a step ahead of the curve, is to think about some of the less obvious pitfalls, the things that many people might NOT be thinking about regularly. This alone, may be the factor that sets you apart from those that contract an illness. Things like making sure the water dispenser in your office is sanitary before you use it or using your shoulder to push the bathroom door open, rather than gripping the handle with your freshly washed hands when leaving. Or how about this one, making sure you sanitize your phone regularly with an alcohol pad. There was a study performed by a European group (Insurance2go) that found mobile phones to be roughly 3 times dirtier than the average toilet seat! Don’t believe us? Check out the study here.
If you follow these steps and listen to the advice made public by the CDC and the WHO, you will have a greater chance of avoiding illness. Here at Aegis Capital Corp, we urge you to take all the proper hygienic and preemptive measures to keep yourself and those around you safe and healthy.
