PIQUA — The city of Piqua Health Department released the following guidelines to help the local business community be in compliance with the state’s “Stay at Home” order, which is currently in effect until 11:59 p.m. April 6.
All essential businesses and operations are encouraged to remain open as long as they meet the requirements in the order.
Essential businesses and services include:
• Healthcare and public health operations
• Human services operations
• Essential infrastructure
• Essential governmental functions
• Critical infrastructure workers
• Stores that sell groceries and medicine
• Food and beverage production and agriculture
• Organizations that provide charitable and social services
• Religious entities and gatherings, including weddings and funerals
• News media
• First amendment protected speech
• Gas stations and businesses needed for transportation
• Financial and insurance institutions
• Hardware and supply stores
• Critical trades
• Mail, post, shipping, logistics, delivery, and pick-up services.
• Educational institutions.
• Laundry services.
• Restaurants providing carry-out, third party delivery, and curbside pickup.
• Businesses that sell, manufacture, or supply products needed for people to work from home or support material for essential businesses.
• Transportation services.
• Home-based care and services.
• Residential facilities and shelters.
• Professional services, which includes legal, accounting, insurance, and real estate services.
• Manufacturing companies, distributors, and supply chain companies producing and supplying essential products and services.
• Critical labor union functions.
• Hotels and motels, to the extent used for lodging and delivery or carry-out food services.
• Funeral and related services.
Essential businesses and operations include:
• Stores that sell groceries and medicine.
• Food, beverage, and licensed marijuana production and agriculture
• Organizations that provide charitable and social services.
• Religious entities
• Media
• First amendment protected speech.
• Gas stations and businesses needed for transportation
• Financial and insurance institutions
• Hardware and supply stores
• Critical trades
• Mail, post, shipping, logistics, delivery, and pick-up services
• Educational institutions.
• Laundry services
• Restaurants for consumption off-premises
• Supplies to work from home
• Supplies for Essential Businesses and Operations
• Transportation
• Home-based care and services
• Residential facilities and shelters
• Professional services
• Manufacture, distribution, and supply chain for critical products and industries
• Critical labor union functions
• Hotels and motels
• Funeral services
The Piqua Health Department will make the determination if a business meets the criteria of an essential business. Those who do not meet the criteria are expected to close in accordance with the order.
Businesses that remain open must meet the social distancing requirements including maintaining at least six-foot social distancing from other individuals, washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as frequently as possible or using hand sanitizer, covering coughs or sneezes (into the sleeve or elbow, not hands), regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces, and not shaking hands.
Required measures
Essential Businesses and operations and businesses engaged in minimum basic operations must take proactive measures to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements, including where possible:
• Designate six-foot distances. Designating with signage, tape, or by other means six-foot spacing for employees and customers in line to maintain appropriate distance;
• Hand sanitizer and sanitizing products. Having hand sanitizer and sanitizing products readily available for employees and customers;
• Separate operating hours for vulnerable populations. Implementing separate operating hours for elderly and vulnerable customers; and
• Online and remote access. Posting online whether a facility is open and how best to reach the facility and continue services by phone or remotely.
The following is a COVID-19 information and checklist for businesses/employers. Business and employers are to take the following actions:
• Allow as many employees as possible to work from home by implementing policies in areas such as teleworking and video conferencing.
• Actively encourage sick employees to stay home until they are free of fever (without the use of medication) for at least 72 hours (three full days) AND symptoms have improved for at least 72 hours AND at least seven days have passed since symptoms first began. Do not require a healthcare provider’s note to validate the illness or return to work of employees sick with acute respiratory illness; healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.
• Ensure that your sick leave policies are up to date, flexible, and non-punitive to allow sick employees to stay home to care for themselves, children, or other family members. Consider encouraging employees to do a self-assessment each day to check if they have any COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, or shortness of breath).
• Separate employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms from other employees and send them home immediately. Restrict their access to the business until they have recovered.
• Reinforce key messages stay home when sick, use cough and sneeze etiquette, and practice hand hygiene to all employees, and place posters in areas where they are most likely to be seen. Provide protection supplies such as soap and water, hand sanitizer, tissues, and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.
• Frequently perform enhanced environmental cleaning of commonly touched surfaces, such as workstations, counter tops, railings, door handles, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces can be wiped down by employees before each use.
• Be prepared to change business practices if needed to maintain critical operations (e.g., identify alternative suppliers, prioritize customers, or temporarily suspend some of your operations).
Further questions can be directed to Piqua Health and Sanitation Department.
