Covid good practices and protocols

Given the new reality, in which we live with the COVID 19 virus, it is important to know and apply personal care protocols and to others.

Monitoring the health of employees (including contract workers)

• Instruct employees with symptoms associated with COVID-19 to report them to their supervisors. Tell sick employees to stay home and follow the recommendations of health authorities.
• If an employee is sick at work, send them home immediately. Clean and disinfect all surfaces and areas used by the sick person at work. Other people in the facility who have had close contact with the employee during this time should be considered exposed to the virus.
• Instruct employees who are healthy, but who know they have been exposed to COVID-19, to notify their supervisor and follow the precautions recommended by the CDC (see below).
• Inform co-workers that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace, if an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, while maintaining confidentiality.
• Implement workplace controls to reduce transmission between employees, such as those described below:
  • Employers – Pre-assessment (e.g., take your temperature and evaluate your symptoms before you start working).
  • Employers – Disinfect and clean work areas and equipment and consider cleaning the surfaces that are used more frequently.
  • Employees – Monitor yourself regularly (e.g., take your temperature and assess your COVID 19 symptoms).
  • Employees – Wear a face mask or face covering.
  • Employees – Practice social distancing and stay at least 1.5 meters away from other people, whenever possible.

Personal hygiene of employees

• Emphasize hand hygiene including washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and avoid touching unwrapped or exposed foods.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Wear gloves to avoid touching food with bare hands.
• Before eating or preparing your meals, always wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds as general food safety.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, throw it in the trash, and then wash your hands.

Control of operations in a food service establishment or food retail store

Continue to follow established food safety protocols and recommended practices for food retail establishments and important COVID-19 recommendations, including the following:

• Follow the 4 key steps for food safety: Always — Clean, Separate, Cook and Cool.
• Wash, rinse, and disinfect surfaces that touch food, such as dishes, utensils, surfaces where food is prepared, and equipment for beverages after use.
• Frequently disinfect surfaces that employees or customers touch, such as door handles, equipment handles, the counter where you pay, shopping carts, etc.
• Frequently clean and disinfect floors, countertops, and other areas of the establishment using appropriate, quality disinfectants.
• Prepare and use disinfectants according to the instructions on the label.
• When you change your normal food preparation procedures, delivery functions, or make changes to personnel, apply the procedures ensuring that:
  • Cooked foods reach the appropriate internal temperature before serving or cooling.
  • Hot foods are cooled quickly for later use – check the temperatures of food that is cooled in refrigerators or using rapid cooling techniques such as ice baths and cooling sticks.
  • The time food is stored, displayed or delivered within the hazardous zone (between 41°F and 135°F) is minimized.
  • Appropriate training is provided for employees with new or modified functions, and that they apply the training in accordance with established procedures.
• Help clients maintain good infection control and social distancing by:
  • Suspending operations such as salad bars, buffets, and beverage serving stations, which require customers to use common utensils or dispensers.
  • Finding ways to encourage customers to keep a distance from each other while online to place orders or pay in accordance with applicable local and state requirements.
  • Discouraging customers from bringing their pets — except service animals — to stores or waiting areas.
• Continue using disinfectants for its intended purposes.
• Verify that the dishwasher machines are operating at the required temperatures, and with the appropriate detergents and disinfectants.
• Remember that you can use hot water instead of chemicals to disinfect equipment and utensils in manual dishwasher machines.
• If you donate meals to food recovery programs or charities, check state and local guidelines.

Control to carry and deliver food

• Observe established food safety practices that control time/temperature, contamination prevention, hand washing, no sick workers and food storage, etc.
• Have employees wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing, or after touching commonly used areas, for example, door handles and doorbells.
• If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are clearly dirty.
• Increase the frequency of washing and disinfecting heavily touched surfaces, such as counters, keyboards, and inside vehicles by using a regular household cleaning spray or cloth.
  • Be sure to read the label and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.

• Establish designated areas for customers to pick up their food to help maintain social distancing.
• Practice social distancing when delivering food, for example, offering «untouched» deliveries and sending alert texts or calling when you’ve arrived at the drop-off location.
• Assess your facility to identify and implement operational changes to maintain social distancing if you offer the option to carry and deliver food, keeping a distance of 6 feet from others, when possible.
• Keep meals hot, hot, and cold, cold meals by storing them in appropriate shipping containers.
  • Keep meals cold, cold by keeping enough cooling materials, for example, gel packs.
  • Keep meals warm, hot by making sure thermal containers are working properly.

• Keep foods separate to avoid contamination between them, for example, keeping raw foods separate from cooked foods and those that are ready to eat.
• Make sure that wraps and containers used to transport food prevent food contamination.
• Regularly clean and disinfect refrigerators and thermal bags used to deliver meals.

*Source FDA (food & drug administration)