Open for Business - A Blueprint for Shopping Safe

Social Distancing – Employees

• Ensure employees stay 6 feet apart whenever practical.
• Adjust seating in break rooms, cafeterias, and other common areas to reflect social distancing practices.
• Prohibit gatherings or meetings of employees of 10 or more during working hours, permit employees to take breaks and lunch outside, in their office or personal workspace, or in such other areas where proper social distancing is attainable.
• Restrict interaction between employees and outside visitors or truck drivers; implement touchless receiving practices if possible.
• Adjust training/onboarding practices to limit number of people involved and allow for 6 foot spacing; use virtual/video/audio training when possible.
• Discourage employees from using colleagues’ phones, desks, workstations, radios, handhelds/wearables, or other work tools and equipment.
• Prohibit handshaking and other unnecessary person to person contact in the workplace.

Special Protocols for Home Delivery/Installation Employee

• Wear protective face coverings and gloves during in-home delivery and/or installation services.
• Ensure proper social distancing between employee and customer.
• Clean and disinfect any surfaces which will be regularly contacted throughout the duration of any installation.
• When delivery/installation is complete, clean and disinfect all surfaces which were contacted throughout installation.
• Clean and disinfect any tools or supplies used throughout delivery/installation upon leaving the home.

Social Distancing – Customers (Phase 2)

• Occupancy limits should be determined by social distancing goals and tied to a clear and familiar standard, such as no more than 50% of the stated maximum store capacity according to the National Fire Code, or no more than 5 customers per 1000 square feet of shopping space.  
• Place conspicuous signage at entrances and throughout the store alerting staff and customers to the required occupancy limits, six feet of physical distance, and policy on face covering.
• Establish hours of operation, wherever possible, that permit access solely to high-risk individuals, as defined by the CDC.
• Demarcate six feet of spacing in check-out lines to demonstrate appropriate spacing for social distancing.
• Ensure six feet of distance between customers and cashiers and baggers, except at the moment of payment and/or exchange of goods.
• Arrange for contactless pay options, pickup, and/or delivery of goods wherever practical. 

Hygiene

• Require infection control practices, such as regular hand washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage and disposal.
• Encourage employees to engage in repeated handwashing/sanitization throughout the workday.
• Provide sanitization materials, such as hand soap, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes to employees.
• Require the use of gloves and regularly sanitize community technology and equipment such as POS, cash registers, copy machines, etc.

Sanitization

• Require frequent sanitization of high-touch areas like restrooms, fitting rooms, doors, PIN pads, and common areas.
• Ensure operating hours allow downtime between shifts for thorough cleaning.
• Provide sanitization materials, such as sanitizing wipes, to employees to clean handhelds/wearables, scanners, radios, or other work tools and equipment before/after use.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch areas routinely, particularly in spaces that are accessible to staff, customers, and suppliers.
• Ensure cleaning procedures following a known or potential exposure in a facility comply with CDC recommendations.
• Have deep cleaning response plan in place, in the event of an associate(s) testing positive.
• Follow CDC guidance related to returned merchandise before returning items to the sales floor.

Protective Face Covering

• Require workers, visiting contractors, drivers, and strongly encourage customers, to wear face coverings while on the premises.
• Post signage for customers to understand the importance of wearing face coverings.
• PSAs from law enforcement urging consumers to act responsibly and utilize face coverings—it should not be the responsibility of local retailers to enforce.

Health Screening

• Encourage employees to self-evaluate (before they arrive for shifts) for signs of illness (such as a fever over 100.4, cough, or shortness of breath).
• Require associates who exhibit signs of illness not to report to work and encourage them to seek medical attention prior to returning.

Sanitization

• Provide sanitization materials, such as hand soap, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes to staff.
• Frequent sanitization of high-touch areas like restrooms, breakrooms, credit card machines, keypads, counters, and shopping carts.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch areas routinely, particularly in spaces that are accessible to staff, customers, and suppliers, and ensure cleaning procedures following a known or potential exposure in a facility are in compliance with CDC recommendations.

Employee Guidelines

• Require infection control practices, such as regular hand washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage and disposal.
• Encourage employees to frequently handwash/sanitize throughout the workday.
• Separate employees who become sick during the day and send home.
• Encourage employees to not come to work if not feeling well.