Employers, here are the four phases of the pandemic, followed by guidelines. If you belong to an organizing association (eg, the British Columbia Restaurant and Food Services Association) please refer to them for guidance. In all likelihood, they are already working with the province on standards and protocols.
The Four Phases
Phase One (Current): Essential Services Operating During COVID-19.
- Enhanced resources for hospitals and health care.
- Child care for essential workers.
- K-12: Online and in-class learning.
- Non-essential businesses.
- Construction, manufacturing, agriculture, silviculture.
Phase Two: Under Enhanced Protocols (starting mid-May)
Hair salons, restaurants and pubs must work with WorkSafeBC to ensure protocols are met. The BC Park Association and the BC Restaurant Association are already working with the province to set and meet the protocols.
- Small gatherings, eg expanding your circle by 2 to 6 guests, outside is better than inside.
- Elective surgeries resume.
- Dentistry, chiropractic, physiotherapy, in-person counselling resume.
- Provincial parks will open for day-use, as of May 14.
- More retail businesses, restaurants and pubs to re-open, supported by WorkSafeBC, as of May 19 and beyond.
- Expanded in-person schooling for K-12 (voluntary).
- Legislature resumes.
Phase Three: Under Enhanced Protocols (June to September, as long as transmission remain flat or reduced):
- More parks open, camping resumes.
- Film and TV production.
- Movie theatres.
- Personal services like spas and non-medical massage.
- Hotels and resorts.
Expect non-medical masks to become normal for places and situations where physical distancing is not possible, like bus travel, shopping, and so on.
Phase Four (Treatment/Vaccine dependent): Conditional on at least one of wide vaccination, and/or “community” immunity and/or broad successful treatments.
- Large gatherings (rock concerts, conventions).
- Restrictions of large gathering (not >50 for social gathering NOT applied work or retail box stores, larger grocery stores, or malls) will remain in place for now
- Activities requiring large gatherings will be prohibited
- Conventions
- Live audience professional sports
- Concerts
International tourism will also need to be addressed. For now, don’t travel unless it’s essential.
Guidelines For Employers
Core Workplace Guidelines
- Actively promote and monitor personal self-care actions in your organization.
- Actively promote and implement the core measures for managing social interaction in your organizational setting in congregate social areas (kitchens, staff room, canteens, shared public spaces).
- You must have clear policies to enable and ensure that individuals who have the symptoms of a cold, flu, or Covid-19 including any coughing or sneezing should not come into the workplace. As part of opening your specific settings, you should implement sick day policies for the coming twelve months that actively work with individual staff being off sick more often or working safely at home during these illnesses. As employers, you must take leadership in this regard with routine screening/questions of staff for symptoms checking.
- Require and sustain higher levels of frequent cleaning of “high touch” areas in workplaces and retail outlets throughout the day and availability of hand sanitizer stands at entrances or around workplaces and shops.
- Where appropriate and practical increase use of temporary physical barriers (such as plexiglass at service counters or checkouts).
- Focus on how you will support and accommodate higher-risk populations including those 65+ and those with underlying medical conditions. Workplaces, retail and personal service businesses are encouraged to exercise greater accommodation for these age groups in terms of workspace, more flexible hours of work or shopping (earlier, later, mid-day) or working at home options.
Additional Guidelines for Offices
- Where possible continue to encourage working from home part of the time to reduce “contact intensity” and “number of contacts” in the workplace.
- Where this is not possible or in addition to working from home policies, enable employees to have less contacts by:
- Using staggered shifts or work hours for individuals or groups.
- Teams working together virtually or small team task groups.
- Forgoing in-person group meetings as much as possible.
Additional Guidelines Personal Services
- Hair salons, barbers, and personal service establishments will:
- Use messaging about not accessing services while sick (cold, flu, Covid-19 symptoms) and routine screening/questions of customers for symptoms checking before providing a service.
- Manage in terms of physical distancing and reducing or eliminate waiting areas.
- Require appointments or bookings to manage customer flow.
- Use of non-medical masks and maintaining distance between customers while being served.
- Use of physical barriers such as plexiglass where practical.
Additional Guidelines for Child Care
- Routine daily symptom screening for all staff and children.
- Routine and frequent environmental cleaning.
- Clear policy for children or staff who have the symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID-19, with any coughing or sneezing not coming into a child-care facility
Additional Guidelines Schools (K-12)
A full resumption of schools is expected in September. High schools will likely incorporation online learning as a part of the new normal.
- Routine daily screening protocol for all staff and students.
- Routine and frequent environmental cleaning.
- Smaller class sizes, increased space between desks, alternating attendance arrangements, frequent hand washing, wearing non-medical masks for group activities and sports, and limiting group sizes.
- Clear policy for children, youth and staff who have symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID-19, with any coughing or sneezing not coming into school or taking part in extra curricular activities and sports.
- Planning over the summer for increased use of remote online learning, especially for high school children.
- Early arrival and self-isolation for 14 days of international students.
Additional Guidelines Post Secondary
- Routine daily screening protocol for all staff and students.
- Routine and frequent environmental cleaning.
- Clear policy for students and staff who have symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID-19, with any coughing or sneezing not to attend classes, extra-curricula activities, sports or work.
- Increased use of on-line learning balanced against the need of social interaction for learning and development.
- Early arrival and self-isolation for 14 days of international students.
Additional Guidelines: Sports/Recreation and Camps
- Routine daily symptom screening for all participants.
- Low contact sports especially those outdoors are considered safer. Identify high contact sports that should not take place during the pandemic.
- Clear policy for participants and staff who have the symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID-19 symptoms, with any coughing or sneezing not participating.
- Staff and participants at higher risk of experiencing severe illness should not take part in recreational, sporting, or camp activities.