Since the prominence of COVID-19 in the last year, we’ve all seen a rise in “COVID Protocols”. These protocols can be found in restaurants, hotels, doctor’s offices, and more. They’re a variety of different types of sanitation and cleanliness practices that have the intent of keeping people safe from germs. However, people are wondering if these protocols really are keeping us safe or if it is simply providing a perceived sense of safety.
Below are a few common COVID Protocols and what experts say about whether they’re really protecting us from germs.
Temperature Checks: You’ve likely entered an establishment and had to have your temperature checked with a forehead thermometer before you can enter. The problem is that most of these types of forehead thermometers are super inaccurate and many people who end up testing positive with COVID start out with a very low or no fever at the onset of the sickness, making it very difficult to trace with these thermometers.
Sanitization of Surfaces: Through the pandemic, we’ve all be encouraged to be vigilant about wiping down and sanitizing hard surfaces. Early studies showed that the COVID virus could survive on surfaces for nearly thirty days. The problem with this, however is that those studies were conducted in controlled environments. In the real world, where surfaces are exposed to fluctuating temperatures and humidity as well as UV rays, the virus will not survive long at all. Of course, it is still a good idea to keep surfaces clean, but this is not the primary way that the virus is spread.
Contactless Services: These protocols that minimize contact and interaction between people actually do help to lower the risk of COVID transmission. Finding technology-based options to replace face to face interactions helps to mitigate risk.
Ventilation Improvements: Since the COVID virus particles are primarily spread through the air, improving the ventilation system in your building is beneficial and can help reduce the spread of the virus, even more so than adding plexiglass barriers or regular surface cleaning.
The fact of the matter is that many of the helpful and truly preventative protocols that you and your employees are taking to mitigate the spread of COVID are happening behind the scenes and are not visible to customers. By adding signage or practicing more visible protocols (even if they’re not totally effective) will help to instill a sense of safety in customers.
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