CDC reopening guidance for your business

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday evening released six flow charts intended to help businesses, schools, restaurants and transit systems decide whether it is safe to reopen — and when.

As parts of the state begin to reopen Friday under Gov. Ralph Northam’s Phase One plan, leaders can use these guidelines to evaluate the safety in opening their doors again. As of late Thursday, the city of Richmond, Accomack County and Northern Virginia will enter Phase One on Friday, May 29. Phase One allows retail stores and houses of worship to open at 50% capacity and restaurants to offer outdoor dining with 50% seating capacity — under state-mandated guidelines.

The six one-page documents use traffic signs and other graphics to show organizations what they should consider before reopening. The CDC also recommends checking with state and local officials on regional rules and restrictions for reopening. 

“The purpose of this tool is to assist employers in making (re)opening decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially to protect vulnerable workers,” the workplace decision trees read. “It is important to check with state and local health officials and other partners to determine the most appropriate actions while adjusting to meet the unique needs and circumstances of the local community.”

The following are links to the CDC briefings on what workplaces, schools, restaurants, camps, child care programs and mass transit systems should follow as each plans to reopen. In each category, Virginia Business has highlighted important things to consider, in addition to the hygiene practices and social distancing measures that all organizations should consider, as per the CDC.

It’s important to note that Phase One reopening guidelines in Virginia may not coincide with CDC recommendations in terms of the type of businesses that are able to open Friday, but may in later phases. The CDC has not yet released guidelines for places of worship, which are able to open Friday at 50% occupancy in Virginia localities entering Phase One.

Workplaces

• Consider modifying travel and commuting practices. Promote telework for non-local employees
• Develop and implement daily procedures to check for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in employees
• Monitor absences and have flexible leave policies and practices

Schools

• Develop and implement daily procedures to check for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in students and employees
• Monitor absences and have flexible leave policies and practices

Restaurants

• Encourage drive-thru, delivery, curbside pick up, spacing of tables, limiting party sizes and occupancy, avoiding self-serve stations, restricting employee shared spaces and rotating or staggering shifts
• Develop and implement daily procedures to check for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in employees 
• Monitor absences and have flexible leave policies and practices

Camps

• Develop and implement daily procedures to check for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in children and employees
• Monitor child and employee absences and have a pool of trained substitutes

Child care programs

• Develop and implement daily procedures to check for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in children and employees 
• Monitor child and employee absences and have a pool of trained substitutes. For family child care, have a plan for a substitute caregiver 

Mass transit systems

• Develop and implement daily procedures to check for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in employees
• Increase spacing of passengers and employees, closing every other row of seats and using bus rear door entry/exit

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