We want our workplace community to continue to be a healthy environment for our members and guests. With that in mind, we want to share what we’re doing for preventative purposes regarding the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
General information about COVID-19
- COVID-19 is transmitted via droplets (ie sneezing, coughing, etc.).
- Most people infected with COVID-19 virus have mild disease and recover.
- Individuals at highest risk for severe disease and death include people aged over 60 years and those with underlying conditions.
- The median time from onset to clinical recovery for mild cases is approximately 2 weeks and is 3-6 weeks for patients with severe or critical disease.
Here is some recently published data from the World Health Organization (WHO) on estimated mortality rates that help keep things in perspective:
- Ebola: 50%
- COVID-19: 3.4%
- Measles: 0.7%
- Seasonal Flu: 0.1%
This data is only an estimate and some people argue it’s possible the estimated death rates for COVID-19 might be inflated because many people who were infected had symptoms that were too mild to go see a doctor. So keep in mind that most people that contract the disease will do just fine, but we still want to do all we can to minimize exposure. More information is available on the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites. We encourage everyone to keep informed.
Our plan to reduce risk at our coworking space
- Being vigilant about disinfecting frequently touched surfaces in our meeting rooms, common tables/share desks, chair arms/backs, and community gathering areas. This includes doorknobs, faucet handles, paper towel dispenser handles, drawer pulls, cabinet handles, refrigerator handle, coffee pot handle, microwave buttons, toaster handle, printer buttons, and thoroughly washing and rinsing dishes in hot water.
- Offer table wiping options for members and guests to wipe down their work areas prior to working as well as having the following supplies on-hand:
- Paper Towels
- Tissues
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (if available)
- Disinfectant spray cleaner
- Hand soap at all sinks
- Post signs reminding folks to wash their hands for 20 seconds.
- Post signs reminding folks to cover their coughs, and to stay home if they feel symptoms, as well as post-symptom signage.
- Encouraging the use of video conferencing (available in our conference room) to reduce the number of people coming together for meetings.
What all of us can do as a community
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water. This is one of the best ways to avoid the spread of germs. Remember to clean the ‘webs’ between fingers and thumbs.
- Don’t have access to soap and water? Use hand sanitizer if available.
- Avoid touching your face, particularly your eyes or nose.
- Sneezing into tissues or your elbow can minimize the spread of germs. Always wash your hands with soap and water after you sneeze, or use hand sanitizer.
- Wipe down/disinfect your own workstations including phones, laptops, cases, etc.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay at home if you are sick.
- Keep travel to a minimum.
- Use an ‘elbow-bump’ instead of a handshake.
- Face masks have not been suggested for general use – the WHO has provided a guide on when and how to use a facemask.
- Kindly ask fellow members or guests that show cold or flu symptoms to consider going home.
- If you are sick with flu symptoms, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
We hope these precautionary measures help during this unique time of uncertainty. We are grateful for all our amazing members who make our coworking space special.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
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