West Virginia Safely Opening Retail Stores

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Under Gov. Justice’s reopening plan, West Virginia Strong — The Comeback,
restaurants and bars may open indoor facilities at 50% capacity, as well as offering
outdoor service and take-away and delivery service. Governor Justice has issued the
following guidance to mitigate the exposure and spread of COVID-19 among foodservice workers and patrons.

Note: Effective as of July 7, 2020, all individuals over the age of 9 are required to wear face coverings when in confined, indoor spaces, other than one’s residence or while actively engaged in the consumption of food and/or beverage, and when not able to adequately social distance from other individuals who do not reside in the same household, pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 50-20.

Per CDC Guidance, exempt from this requirement are:
• children younger than 2 years old,
• anyone who has trouble breathing through a face covering, and
• persons who unable are to remove th face covering without assistance.

As your business reviews and implements these new measures, we encourage you to share and discuss them with your employees and your customers.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in appropriate enforcement measures.

OPERATIONS & EMPLOYEE SAFETY

o Plan: Develop and implement appropriate policies, in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and guidance, and informed by industry best practices:
o Prepare the building for reopening;
o Develop a plan to control or monitor access points and update visitation policies;
o Consider traffic flow and occupancy limitations:
- Should walking patterns be changed to be one way?
- Does the number of entrances need to be limited to control occupancy?
- Do the entrances and exits need to be staffed to manage occupancy?
o Prepare your employees for their return to work;
o Create a social distancing plan to manage and reduce excessive employee interaction;
o Create a plan for personal protective equipment (PPE) and physical barriers, with special consideration for employees who come in contact with the general public, and those who are at-risk (e.g., elderly or immunocompromised);
o Reduce touch points to the maximum extent possible;
o Increase cleaning frequency and the availability of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and other DIY cleaning products;
o Establish an open line of communication with employees regarding safety;
o Screening: Screen employees reporting to work daily and all those who enter the building for COVID-19 symptoms with the following questions:
• Temperature checks?
• Have you been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?
• Are you experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat?
• Have you had a fever in the last 48 hours?
• Have you had new loss of taste or smell?
• Have you had vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours?
• Sick employees: Direct any employee or visitor who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms (i.e., answers yes to any of the screening questions or who is running a fever above 100.4 degrees) to leave the premises immediately and seek medical care and/or COVID-19 testing, per CDC guidelines. Employers should maintain the confidentiality of any and all health information.
o Training: Train all employees on the importance and expectation of increased frequency of handwashing, the use of hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol, and provide clear instruction to avoid touching hands to face.
o Monitor: Monitor your employees for indicative symptoms and keep an open line of communication. Encourage workers to report any safety and health concerns to the employer.
o Cleaning: Implement workplace cleaning and disinfection practices, according to CDC guidelines, with regular sanitization of common surfaces. Ensure that staffing and supplies available for such facilities is sufficient to enable enhanced sanitization and cleaning measures in accordance with appropriate CDC guidelines.
o Hygiene: Provide a place to wash hands or alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60% alcohol.
o Touch points: Contact with doorknobs, switches, buttons, and any point of sale equipment should be limited to the maximum extent possible and frequently cleaned and sanitized. The number of touch points in the building should be reduced and limited to the maximum extent possible. The entrance/exit doors should be sanitized routinely.
o Restrooms: To the maximum extent practicable, limit the number of individuals in a restroom to ensure proper social distancing and ensure that frequently touched surfaces are appropriately disinfected (e.g., door knobs and handles that cannot be otherwise removed).
o Fitting rooms: To the maximum extent possible, limit or deny access to fitting rooms. If a business elect to allow fitting rooms, items that may be tried on and not purchased should be held separately and cleaned using appropriate cleaning measures prior to returning items for sale.
o Return policy: To the maximum extent possible, extend return time limits and ensure all items returned are properly cleaned and sanitized.
o Common areas: Close public seating areas, play areas, and any other locations at which individuals may congregate.
o Per Executive Order 50-20, all individuals over the age of 9 are required to use face coverings (masks, bandannas, face shields, etc.) when in confined, indoor spaces, other than one’s residence or while actively engaged in the consumption of food and/or beverage, and when not able to adequately social distance from other individuals who do not reside in the same household. As appropriate, require PPE, including appropriate face coverings, for all employees and visitors.
o Tracing: Develop and implement policies and procedures for employee contact tracing following employee with a positive COVID-19 test and inform the local health department of such positive test and tracing.
o Phase in: If possible, return employees to work in phases and spread out shifts to reduce excessive or unnecessary interaction.
o Telework: Allow teleworking to the maximum extent possible, wherever possible (support and accounting staff).
o At-risk individuals: Consider special accommodations for employees that are members of a vulnerable population, like senior citizens or immunocompromised people, including encouraging teleworking to the maximum extent possible among other measures.
o Cooperation: Plan for potential COVID-19 cases and work with local health department officials when needed (i.e., monitor and trace COVID-19 cases, deep-clean facilities).
o Signage: Post extensive signage on health policies, including the following documents in the workplace to help educate all on COVID-19 best practices:<br>• CDC: Stop the Spread of Germs<br>• CDC: COVID-19 Symptoms
Where employees must come into contact with the general public and/or customers, consider additional precautionary measures to protect the safety of employees, visitors, and the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
o Establish limitations on existing occupancy limits with consideration for the specific limitations set by the West Virginia DHHR and/or local health departments;
o Enforce appropriate social distancing requirements in all areas of the business;
o Implement, to the greatest extent possible, internal traffic flow patterns necessary to minimize contacts between employees and customers;
o As appropriate, establish an appointment schedule to reduce excessive or unnecessary interaction;
o To the greatest extent possible, encourage customers to make orders over the phone or online and arrange for contactless payment, pickup, and delivery;
o To the greatest extent possible, encourage customers to make cashless and/or contactless payments and ensure point of sale equipment is frequently sanitized;
o Institute measures to limit interaction between employees and customers including the use of plastic shields; and
o Require PPE, including appropriate face coverings, for all employees with special considerations for those employees who will interact with a customer.