Baylor offers guide for reopening businesses in Houston

Baylor College of Medicine has developed a comprehensive guide to reopening businesses in Houston, offering an outline on what employers can do to maintain the health and well-being of their workers and patrons.

“As we begin to see more people back to work, and more people patronizing places of business, we want to continue the progress we have made in flattening the curve of COVID-19,” said Dr. James McDeavitt, senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor. “Baylor has had to maintain business operations, as many others have had to do. We are fortunate to have infectious disease and other experts on our team, so we have taken general and reopening guidelines and filtered them through those experts to develop information that has benefited us and that are practical and digestible for other businesses.”

The guidelines offer recommendations on how to maintain social distancing for employees and for customers or visitors, such as creating a traffic flow system or restricting certain areas by limiting the number of people allowed inside.

Also included are reminders of what areas should be disinfected more frequently and what cleaning supplies should be well stocked. There are tips on how to maintain employee health by providing health questionnaire screenings, hand-sanitizing stations or installing clear shields for cashiers and other public-facing employees to limit exposure to a large number of guests.

And if an employee does show symptoms, there are also guidelines on when to stay home, how to self-quarantine, when to seek medical attention, and when it is safe to return to work.

Another important reminder is communicating with employees and customers, making sure everyone is aware of the added health measures that will help to make this transition a bit smoother.

“There is still a vast majority of the population that has not been exposed to the virus,” McDeavitt said. “As we start to reopen Houston, we must all work to continue to manage social distancing and to take care of people who are exposed and sick, and that includes our employees.”

The guide is available at bcm.edu/reopen-houston.