What’s this?
This is a best practices guide for facility management professionals looking to know more about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and how to deal with the outbreak in the workplace, both in terms of prevention, and containment in case of infection.
About COVID-19
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness in humans, ranging from a common cold to more severe diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain, not identified in humans until 31 December 2019, in the city of Wuhan, China.
They’re zoonotic viruses, meaning that they are transmissible between animals and humans — the origin of this outbreak is likely a mutation of the virus that circulated in a range of animal species, and/or due to increased human contact with those animals, which originated the first infection in humans.
Although the exact dynamics of its transmission are still under investigation (at the time of writing of this guide), it is known that respiratory viruses, in general, are transmitted through droplets created when a carrier coughs or sneezes, or through surfaces that have been contaminated with the virus.
The symptoms of infection can range from mild to severe, though most cases present fever, cough, shortness of breath and, in more severe cases, pneumonia or even kidney failure.
So… What’s the role of facility management in dealing with COVID-19?
Being in charge of the maintenance of buildings, organisations and, most importantly, people, it is the responsibility of facility managers to take action towards implementing the right prevention and containment strategies in the workplace. Not sure how you can do this? We’re here to help! Prevention against COVID-19 includes:
- Reducing concentration of personnel
- Reducing physical proximity of staff
- Cleaning and disinfecting
- Avoiding international trips
- Keeping everyone informed
Download the full guide for free and find out what you can do to prepare for COVID-19 and what to do in case of infection.
