Covid -19 declared pandemic by WHO and is taking a toll on the public’s health. Coronavirus is taking a toll on the public’s health all around the world. The spread has caused disruption in the global economy. The 2020 virus, COVID-19 is pushing many companies to shut down their offices for sanitation and ask employees to work from home.
Shutting down the office is hindering the workflow and business of the companies in the crucial month of March, which is the end of the financial year. As more and more confirmed cases take the space in the media, people are becoming uptight to prevent themselves from any contact of the disease. The quickness to act is pushing myths to the surface, which not only creates chaos but can be extremely dangerous to one’s well-being.
Coworking spaces all over the world are taking consistent steps to increase valid-information flow and protection from the spread. It becomes vital for a shared office space to adhere by strict rules to have a germ-free environment.
Necessary Protective Measures to prevent spread of COVID-19 in a Coworking Space are as following:
- Advice Sick Individuals to Rest at Home
The Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research, Balram Bhargava, said that the virus doesn’t spread through the air but rather through human contact. Hence, everyone needs to be extra careful to maintain distance with symptoms like cough and cold. Ideally, people suffering from any kind of illness should rest at home as their immune system becomes weak during the disease, and they are more prone to catch the virus.
- Tie-up with a Hospital
As coworking spaces cater to the office requirement of various individuals, they should take the initiative of associating with a hospital to access immediate medical treatment and other facilities for suspected COVID-19 cases.
- Sanitize your Workplace
WeWork has shut down many of its branches around the globe to sanitize the space. Similarly, shared workspaces should initiate immediate shut down of coworkings for a day or two, and deep sanitize each corner of the workspace.
- Keep Sanitizer in each Room
In order to promote the cleanliness and importance of sanitization, the management should provide a sanitizer dispenser bottle in each cabin, meeting rooms, entry, as well as in the common area. The mere sight of sanitizer will trigger individuals to sanitize their hands frequently.
- Suspension of Fingerprint Biometric System
Biometrics are quite common in the shared workspaces, and contact is the friend of coronavirus. Occupants should be allowed to skip punching in with biometric till the spread is under control. Alternatives such as card-based system or facial recognition to be considered.
- Provide Factual Information
As the virus spreads quickly, myths are all over social media platforms. The myths are causing unnecessary panic and, infact, concealing the factual information. Ideally, occupants should be encouraged to consume news through sound sources such as WHO.
- Distribute Masks
As one of the prominent causes of the rapid increase of virus is respiratory excretion like cough and sneeze, people should cover their mouth and nose with a mask. To encourage the practice, shared workspaces should consider distributing masks to their occupants.
With the rise in the cases, the virus has become a cause of panic. Therefore, Coworking workspaces should work upon creating awareness from credible sources and managing people with calm during this mayhem. The responsibility also lies on each and every individual—one should practice good hygiene and sanitation and strengthening one’s immunity.
