Reopening Businesses Safely

Important look by McKinsey on the topic.

Reopening safely: Sample practices from essential businesses

After weeks of shutdowns and remote working, businesses around the world are gradually resuming on-site operations. Of course, some businesses—those considered essential—kept their doors open and operated at full capacity, even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the list of essential businesses varies by jurisdiction, in most cases it includes healthcare facilities, pharmacies, grocery stores, convenience stores, banks, and gas stations, as well as delivery, sanitation, plumbing, and electrical-repair services. Those businesses offer valuable lessons for companies in any sector considering reopening: How does a business stay operational while keeping employees and customers safe and preventing new COVID-19 outbreaks?

Work environments differ vastly from each other, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. That said, as we studied the safety practices of essential businesses during the pandemic, two principles clearly stood out as effective: tailoring safety measures to the unique business environment and implementing them across the full range of business activities (not just on-site operations). This article describes several practices that essential businesses have adopted, some of which are applicable in other sectors as well. These practices are well worth considering as the business world charts a path toward the next normal.  ... "