UPDATE: Due to ongoing concerns regarding the potential spread of COVID-19, Ontario is under a stay-at-home order until at least May 6, 2021. More details can be found here.
Businesses across the Greater Toronto Area are getting ready to cautiously reopen.
On Monday, February 22, Toronto, along with Peel Region, York Region, and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit will move into the Grey Zone of the province’s reopening framework, allowing for some shops and businesses to provide in-person services for the first time in nearly three months. This is an opportunity for businesses across the GTA to show they can operate safely and responsibly.
To ensure your business is ready to reopen in a safe way, follow the checklist below.
1. Properly Schedule Your Staff’s Return
Reopening businesses in February 2021 may not be as simple as it sounds. Depending on your business type, use special precautions to ensure that only essential employees are scheduled to work in person. If some staff members can continue to work from home, let them.
For employees returning to work, be sure to do the following:
- Update all employee contact information, along with vendors and service providers
- Determine which employees must return to work in-person and create a staggered arrival schedule to avoid large groups or gatherings
- Complete a survey on employees to evaluate their comfort levels
- Ensure all employees have the required PPE on-hand and are training in their proper use, including face masks/shields and hand sanitizer, and always maintain a physical distance of at least 2 meters (6 feet) apart from customers and colleagues
- If staff store any personal items at work, sure these are sealed in bins or bags, and stored separately from one other
Following these types, along with Ontario’s official public health guidelines, will both minimize the health risk posed to staff and help your business reopen to customers with confidence.
2. Implement A Health Screening Tool
If Ontario businesses are going to reopen safely and stay open for spring, a core part of that strategy must include a health screening system for staff, volunteers, and essential visitors. By using a screening system at your business, you’ll be able to maximize the care taken for your staff and offer customers protection at the same time.
Last week, STER-OL Infection Control announced its new partnership with GaiaDigits to offer sterilization and decontamination services alongside the company’s latest health screening tool, GaiaScreen 2.0. Through this partnership, businesses in Ontario can minimize the risk posed to employees and customers.
Read the full announcement here.
3. Sterilize Your Entire Workplace Before Reopening
Protection is paramount. Whether you’re a service provider excited to reopen to your customers or managing a large office or distribution center, getting your business ready to reopen means ensuring every square foot of surface area is sterilized and ready for staff and customers to be around. Across Ontario, businesses of all sizes, from local shops or corporations – and even first responders – are using SteraMist® to keep employees and customers happy. SteraMist® offers unique protection, including:
- 99.9999% of bacteria killed (better that sanitation wipes or decontamination sprays)
- Applied in just seconds
- Almost no business down time
- Dry fog leaves no residue behind
- Safe on sensitive surfaces (paperwork, electronics, etc.)
- Creates a healthier, cleaning environment for your staff and customers to enjoy
Reopen in a way that’s healthy, safe, and secure, Click below to get a free quote to sterilize your business with SteraMist® in time for your business reopening.
