Safe business practices guidelines as states reopen

As Texas and other states begin to promote increased business capacity, Baylor College of Medicine is offering an updated outline for prudent business practices to maintain the safety and well-being of workers and customers.

“We understand the need to reopen the economy, but we must remember we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Businesses must expand their operations safely,” said Dr. James McDeavitt, senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor. “Right now, we are still seeing a high rate of community infections. We are in a race between rapid vaccination of the population and the spread of new, more infectious COVID-19 variants. While access to vaccines is increasing, we are probably a few months away from achieving herd immunity.”

The guidelines build on safety recommendations used throughout the pandemic. Many recommendations will look familiar, but there are some significant changes.  

Deemphasized are the importance of deep-cleaning procedures and temperature checks at entrances. New recommendations include the importance of good ventilation and the impact of vaccination on employee procedures.

The guidelines also encourage the continued use of COVID business innovations such as to-go options, deliveries or outdoor dining as well as traffic flow measures and continuing to limit the number of people inside a business.

“We salute leaders who are committed to taking care of business while keeping our neighbors safe,” McDeavitt said. “As we start to increase business activity in Houston, we must all work to continue to make safe decisions to take care of our community.”

To view the complete guidelines click here.