COVID-19 Archives - American Quilt Retailer

Posted on May 6, 2020May 12, 2020 by AQR Piece by Piece

Re-Opening: How to protect your employees

Over 30 states have loosened their shelter-in-place policies. If you’re looking to re-open your business (or already have) below is what the CDC recommends to protect your employees.

Establish a COVID-19 Coordinator

The COVID-19 Coordinator should start with examining the company’s sick leave policy. The policy should be flexible and non-punitive and should encourage employees to stay home if they feel sick (or to care for family members who are sick). Review this policy with your employees.

Next the COVID-19 Coordinator should determine shift schedules to enforce social distancing. Work from home should be done whenever possible.

Essential employees and business functions should be determined as well. Business continuity—if there should ever be a disruption in the supply chain—should be evaluated. Explore how you can continue business operations if further disruptions occur.

Lastly, establish an emergency communications plan and clearly communicate all of the above to your employees, along with whatever expectations you may have.

Below are other tips the CDC recommends to protect your employees.

Protecting the health of your employees

Encourage sick employees to stay home. Your sick leave policy should reflect this encouragement as well.
Ask your employees about their concerns. Some employees may have underlying illnesses.
Develop flexible scheduling. This should also include flexible time-off for sick family members in need of care.
Talk to your suppliers about what they are doing to protect their employees.
Plan to minimize face-to-face contact between employees.
Provide supplies for proper hand hygiene. This includes no-touch trash cans, kleenex, soap, water, paper towels, and hand sanitizer.
Keep travel to a minimum.
Routinely clean high-touch areas. This includes phones, counters, keyboards, work stations, and doorknobs.
Provide education, training, and clearly communicate expectations.
If an employee becomes sick, separate them and send them home immediately.

Next week we’ll cover the frequently asked questions small businesses have when operating during the health crisis, including what to do if an employee is exposed and finding out an employee tested positive several days later. Stay safe and keep hanging on AQR community; we are all in this together.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.

Posted on April 15, 2020April 13, 2020 by AQR Piece by Piece — 1 Comment

COVID-19 Check-In

Much of the nation has been quarantining for a month now, and the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation we (and the world) are in is fully realized.

The uncomfortable part of quarantining is likely over. We’ve become used to leaving the home for only the essentials, we’ve fallen into a new schedule. But this doesn’t mean that the way we feel during this crisis is any different.

Things have been hard, and nobody is enjoying themselves. A survey on a friend’s Instagram story proved this to be true with 80 percent of respondees saying they are not enjoying this strange time.

Sitting and thinking about friends in nursing homes, essential workers, people who have lost their jobs, and vulnerable family members is enough for the spiral of anxiety to begin again. We are being confronted with a sense of powerlessness every day, and with every new piece of information.

What can I do?

And yet it’s thinking of these people that make me realize how good I have it. It inspires me to turn the feeling of powerlessness into action. Send a card (or two), continue sewing face masks, donate to local charities and businesses, reach out to loved ones to see how you can help.

What if it’s not safe for you to leave your home? Bake cookies, write a letter, put a sign of encouragement in your window, or call a friend instead. Because at the end of the day, all we have is each other and a new day will come soon.

What has helped you the most during the COVID-19 quarantine? Leave comments below with what you’ve been watching, listening to, or doing.

Posted on March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 by AQR Piece by Piece

Coronavirus

That’s right; American Quilt Retailer is jumping on this band wagon. Knowledge is power and the more you know about the coronavirus the less your business will have to deal with it. After all, you never know where your customers have been traveling so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

What you can do

Hand and respiratory hygiene remain two of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves and others from the spread of the virus.

• Hand Hygiene: Keeping your hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Wash your hands with liquid soap and water and rub for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel. If hand-washing facilities are not available, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol is an effective alternative. Avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands, especially after coming in contact with public fixtures (like handrails or door knobs) or after coughing or sneezing.

• Respiratory Hygiene: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissues in a trash can and wash your hands thoroughly after. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

• Social Distancing: Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms. Maintain at least a 3 foot distance between you and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. When in doubt, decline handshakes or other physical contact when meeting others. Consider alternatives to face-to-face meetings while conducting business when possible.

• Increase Store Clean Up: Provide disinfectant wipes and pay close attention to cleaning high-touch areas (keyboard, countertops, workstations) at the end of the work day. It isn’t clear yet how long the coronavirus can stay on surfaces, but promptly disinfect any surface you see a customer or employee cough or sneeze nearby, or on.

Resources

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath or other difficulty breathing. If you have any of these symptoms seek medical attention promptly.

To stay up to date on areas restricted for travel, check out the CDC Travel Advisory Risk Assessment List. Or for more information, check out the CDC’s website.