COVID-19 and Back-to-Work Resources

Following the quarantines in response to COVID-19, states are beginning to reopen businesses and other organizations that had been temporarily shut down. Both the federal government and each state is providing guidance about how businesses and consumers can re-enter public life more safely, given that any level of interactions can still create some risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus.

The back-to-work steps that any organization should take will vary based on many factors, which include the following:

The level of risk that employees face in their work
A business’s industry and geography
State-specific guidance
Each individual’s routine in transiting to/from work and other travel and each customer’s efforts to patronize a business

Below are some resources an organization can review to determine its specific guidance and procedures for employees in returning to the workplace and consumers in entering the public sphere. Some resources also can be used for employee training and communication to help prepare them for return to work and best keep themselves, coworkers, customers, and others safe.

These resources include guidance documents, posters, training videos, checklists, and other materials that both can help business management prepare the workplace for employees and customers and educate employees on steps they can take to stay safe and protect others.

US Administration

White House Guidance: Opening Up America Again
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/
Coronavirus.gov (general resource webpage) – Including guidance for businesses
- https://www.coronavirus.gov/

National Institutes of Health

NIH: COVID-19 Response (general resource webpage)
- https://www.niehs.nih.gov/
NIH: Essential and Returning Workers Training Tool
- https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/index.cfm?id=2536#disasterapp
NIH: Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 In the Workplace (video)
- https://niehstraining.vividlms.com/press/COVID-19-Safety-Course-double-Speed.mp4
NIH: Stop the Spread of Germs (poster)
- https://www.niehs.nih.gov/homePage/slideshow/stop_the_spread_of_germs_508.pdf

US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

Businesses and Workplaces (resources webpage)
- Employer Information for Office Buildings
  - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html
Prepare your Small Business and Employees for the Effects of COVID-19 (print handout)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/guidance-small-business.pdf
Resuming Business Toolkit (print brochure)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community/Resuming-Business-Toolkit.pdf
When and How to Wash Your Hands (webpage)
- https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
Life is Better with Clean Hands (print materials, posters, posts, newsletter copy, fact sheet, etc.)
- https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/campaign.html
If You Are Sick (webpage)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/index.html
Symptoms (webpage, including print materials, video)
- Stop the Spread of Germs (print)
- Symptoms of COVID-19 (print, video)
  - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html