The following guidelines are evidence-based practices with universal business application to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within the community.
- A mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. Masks must still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart, especially when indoors around people who don’t live in your household.
- People age 2 and older must wear a mask while in public settings and when around people who do not live in their household.
- Masks must completely cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides of face without gaps.
- Masks must always be worn while in public settings unless you are actively eating or drinking in designated areas, such as at your seat or physically distanced individual tables.
- Masks must be worn any time you are traveling on a plane, bus, train, taxi, or other form of public transportation.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after touching or removing your mask.
- Masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself or with people who live in your household, provided you can maintain a distance of at least 10 feet and have a mask with you to put on when you encounter other people.
- Do not wear a mask when doing activities that may get your mask wet, like swimming at the beach or pool. A wet mask can make it difficult to breathe and may not work as well when wet.
- Masks must always be worn while in public settings, but if you are unable to wear a mask because of difficulty breathing during high intensity activities, choose a location with greater ventilation and air exchange (for instance, outdoors versus indoors) and where you can maintain physical distance from others during the activity. If such a location is not available, opt for low-intensity activities such as walking or yoga that allow for mask wearing.
- The CDC recommends wearing a mask while dining in a restaurant, particularly indoors and when speaking with restaurant workers and servers, except when actively eating or drinking. The risk of COVID-19 spread increases in a restaurant or bar setting as interactions within 6 feet of others increase.
- Maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from people not members of the same household.
- The CDC allows physical distancing to be at least 3 feet for daycare and elementary school age children in a classroom setting, provided there is universal masking at all times and the adults continue to maintain the current physical distancing recommendations of at least 6 feet. See CDC Guidance.
- Facilities must promote physical distancing by closing or configuring common spaces and high-density areas where people are likely to congregate.
- Redesign workstations to allow for at least 6 feet of physical distancing. Use physical partitions to separate workstations that cannot be spaced out; partitions must be at least 6 feet tall.
- Employers must configure break rooms to adhere to physical distancing requirements or limit to using appliances such as coffee makers, refrigerators, or microwaves.
- Post signs or markers near restrooms to remind people to maintain the appropriate social distance of at least 6 feet.
- Establish specific hours for admittance for people at higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications; consider offering virtual services to these members.
- Encourage use of technological solutions where possible to reduce person to person interaction (e.g., contactless payment, mobile ordering, and curbside pick-up).
- Limit the number of individuals riding in an elevator to allow for physical distancing and ensure the use of face coverings. Use signage to communicate these requirements.
- Businesses may function at full occupancy, provided that the space and configuration can adhere to physical distancing requirements for all occupants, including workers. If the allowable number of people creates congregation, congestion or bottlenecking that does not allow for proper physical distancing, the business must further reduce the number of people it allows to a level that achieves consistency with these requirements.
- Businesses must monitor and manage the entries and exits to ensure the maximum occupant capacity is not exceeded. Businesses may establish a system for advanced reservations or appointments (e.g. virtual, on-line, app-based, email, will-call) to ensure occupant capacity is not exceeded.
- Limit the number of occupants within a vehicle that allows for at least 3 feet of physical distance between the driver and all passengers from same household, and between all passengers from different households. This means that a smaller transport vehicle will only allow for passengers from a single household, while a larger transport vehicle (e.g., shuttle bus) may allow multiple households at reduced capacity to allow for sufficient spacing. All occupants must adhere to the facial masking guidelines. Use the vehicle’s ventilation system and windows to exchange fresh air in from outside the vehicle.
- Post visible signage throughout the site to promote facial covering, physical distancing, frequent hand washing, respiratory etiquette, and illness reporting.
- Use audio messages to reinforce physical distancing of at least 6 feet apart from people of different households or pods.
- Establish directional pathways to manage guest flow for foot traffic, to minimize contact (e.g., one-way entrance and exit to rooms, one-way pathways). Post clearly visible signage regarding these policies.
- Post CDC signage in publicly trafficked locations emphasizing measures to “Stop the Spread of Germs” (CDC) and exercise social responsibility (e.g., hygiene).
- Provide access to handwashing facilities or hand sanitizer at each entry/exit and throughout the facility to encourage handwashing and minimize crowding, congestion, and lines. Workers must wash or sanitize their hands upon entering or exiting the facility. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean hands until the sanitizer evaporates.
- Require workers to wash hands frequently and effectively when they arrive at work, leave their workstations for breaks and use the bathroom; before and after they eat or drink or use tobacco products; and after touching any surfaces suspected of being contaminated.
- Provide supplemental hand sanitizer stations, wipes or towelettes, or clean water and soap in portable containers to facilitate more frequent handwashing after handling objects touched by others. Ensure each site has appropriately placed trash receptacles.
- Ensure workers use proper respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette while at the facility. Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of tissue in nearest waste basket after use. Perform handwashing with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean hands.
- Shared equipment must be sanitized before, during and after each shift or anytime the equipment is transferred between workers.
- Shared work vehicles must be sanitized before, during and after each shift or anytime the vehicle is transferred between workers.
- Water fountains are open, provided frequent cleaning is scheduled throughout the day. The use of a touchless water-filling station to fill bottles or using disposable cups is preferred.
- Any equipment used during personal training sessions must be sanitized after each use, or at the end of the session if the client was the only person who used the equipment during the session.
- Food and beverages must only be consumed while seated in designated areas while indoors.
- Utensils and place settings must be either single-use or sanitized after each use; utensils must be rolled or packaged. Tables must not be pre-set to reduce opportunity for exposure.
- Self-serve food and beverage stations must comply with the following guidelines:
- A physical barrier such as a sneeze guard must be in place.
- Hand sanitizer must be made available for customers to use prior to serving self and attendants must supervise customers’ appropriate use.
- Only straws and stirrers individually wrapped in cellophane or paper are allowed.
- Containers must be from single pull dispenser or other method to minimize contact.
- Condiments must be individual packets.
- Designate one person from your leadership team or staff to be the “Plan Administrator” to prepare, evaluate, monitor, execute, and update the plan.
- The plan must be posted onsite in an easily accessible location so all leadership, staff, and volunteers can easily review it.
- Provide training to workers on up-to-date safety information and aimed at reducing disease transmission. Employees must know:
- The signs, symptoms, and risk factors associated with COVID-19 illness.
- How to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at work; including steps being taken in the workplace to establish physical distancing, frequent handwashing, and other precautions.
- The importance of hand washing and how to effectively wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Proper respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes and not touching eyes, noses, or mouths with unwashed hands or gloves.
- Employers must perform Health Screening for all workers entering the business and establish procedures for addressing people who are potentially infectious. This can be done remotely or in person.
- In-person screening must be carried out in a way that maintains physical distancing of workers in a designated screening area. Workers must not enter the worksite past the screening area if any of the following are present:
- Symptoms of COVID-19
- Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (⁰F) or higher or report feeling feverish
- Undergoing evaluation for SARS-CoV-2 infection (such as pending viral test)
- Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the prior 10 days
- Close contact to someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the prior 14 days
- Employees who appear to have symptoms upon arrival at work or who become sick during the day must immediately be separated from other employees, customers, and visitors, and sent home.
- Employer must have a procedure in place for the safe transport of an employee who becomes sick while at work. The employee may need to be transported home or to a healthcare provider.
- Require sick workers to stay home or go home if they feel or appear sick.
- Encourage workers who test positive for COVID-19 to disclose to the employer for purposes of cleaning/disinfecting and contact tracing.
- Maintain a log of workers and attendees to support contact tracing (name, date, time, contact information).
- Any business that has a worker who tests positive must follow CDC Guidelines for quarantine, isolation, and cleaning disinfection. The employer must immediately notify the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) of any positive case.
- Contact Tracing
- To the extent possible, employers must retrace the activities of the infected employee and notify any co‑workers who might have had contact with that person in the days before the diagnosis. The CDC has determined that COVID-19 exposure risk begins when someone is within 6 feet of the infected person for 15 minutes over a 24-hour period. The agency also notes that infected people can spread the virus 48 hours before the onset of symptoms.
- Refer all employees with documented exposure for testing and quarantine until cleared to return.
- Under no circumstances shall an employee or contractor who tested positive report to work at an establishment until that employee is cleared by a medical professional as being COVID-19 free “not transmissible.”
- Employers do not need to require a negative COVID-19 test before employees return to work. Refer to CDC guidelines.
- Those who never develop symptoms can end isolation 10 days after testing positive.
- Those who developed mild symptoms can end isolation after 10 days if at least 24 hours have passed without fever reducing agents and other symptoms have improved.
- Those who developed severe symptoms or immunosuppressed may need to continue isolation for a full 14 days or longer.
- Conduct frequent cleaning and disinfection of site (at least daily and more frequently if feasible).
- Clean commonly touched surfaces in restrooms (e.g., toilet seats, doorknobs, stall handles, sinks, paper towel dispensers, soap dispensers) frequently and in accordance with CDC guidelines.
- Conduct frequent disinfecting of heavy transit areas and high-touch surfaces (e.g., doorknobs, bathrooms, baskets, carts, staff break rooms).
- Maintain a Cleaning Log that includes date, time, and scope of cleaning.
- All hotels must maintain regular daily housekeeping practices and use EPA approved cleaning solutions only.
- In the event of a positive case, follow current CDC guidance on cleaning and disinfecting areas when someone has a COVID-19 diagnosis.
- Increase ventilation, intake of outdoor air and exhaust of indoor air, to reduce the concentration of virus particles in indoor air.
- Open windows and doors to increase airflow where possible.
- Increase the percentage of outdoor air through the HVAC system, readjusting or overriding recirculation dampers.
- Try to keep the humidity between 40% and 60%.
- Run air handling systems for longer hours, including before and after the space is occupied.
