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If You’re Returning to Your Office, Some CDC Guidelines

June 12, 2020

Hanging out by the water cooler, chatting with coworkers about last night’s ballgame while sharing a bag of chips is not a scene you’ll likely see in the office any time soon.

Nor is racing through the office door, dropping gear at your desk because you’re late for a meeting. Or engaging in friendly banter on an elevator ride.

Office life after COVID-19 looks very, very different.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a set of guidelines for companies reopening offices after the pandemic forced widespread closures earlier this year. Because the virus is still circulating and the population has neither built up enough immunity to keep it at bay nor developed an effective vaccine, the concern is person to person spread.

The CDC guidelines include:

  • Taking temperatures and checking for COVID-related symptoms before allowing anyone into the workplace.
  • Encouraging staff feeling sick to stay home.
  • Giving up water coolers, coffeepots and shared candy dishes.
  • Wearing face coverings at all times.
  • Keeping 6 feet between workstations and using floor markings to help people maintain appropriate distance.
  • Installing plexiglass shields where social distancing is not possible, such as at communal lunch tables.
  • Giving staff disposable wipes to clean frequently-touched surfaces such as workstations and keyboards.
  • Side-stepping typical greetings like handshakes.
  • Staying quiet in elevators.
  • Increasing air circulation by opening windows if possible.
  • Staggering work hours to keep the number of people in an office space to a minimum at all times.
  • Urging people to commute alone.

Not feeling well? Call your healthcare provider for guidance and try to avoid going directly to an emergency department or urgent care center, as this could increase the chances of the disease spreading.

Click here to schedule a virtual visit with a Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent care doctor.

Stay with Hartford HealthCare for everything you need to know about the coronavirus threat. Click here for information updated daily.

Questions? Call our 24-hour hotline (860.972.8100 or, toll-free, 833.621.0600). 

Get text alerts by texting 31996 with COVID19 in the message field.