Since the Coronavirus pandemic began, the world has seen over 261,675,000 cases with more than 236,336,000 recoveries. For an extended period of time, our country shut down and we hid from the virus.
But as businesses open up, we need to learn how to safely live life in a world where Covid-19 exists. Though vaccinations lower the number of severe cases, people may still contract continuously changing variants of the virus.
How do you go back out into the work world? Read on to learn eight ways to go about safely returning to work after Covid.
1. Remain Honest About Illness
When you first fall ill, you will see your healthcare provider to get tested. A positive test results in a call from the health department.
During that phone call, an official will collect important information about when your symptoms began and who you came into contact with. Since nobody can easily prove or disprove this information, you may think about lying.
You may want to shorten your isolation time by saying your symptoms started earlier than they actually did. This puts everybody you come into contact with at risk of getting sick.
Lying about who you came into contact with might feel like protecting friends and family from isolation. But this actually puts them and those around them at increased risk.
Tell the public health representative honestly when you first fell ill, so that they can give you the proper time to end your quarantine. Also, provide names of people you came into close contact with to the best of your ability. This will help keep your workspace safe.
2. Alert Your Employer
When you first get that positive test result, call your job. You may feel ashamed or afraid to tell people, but this needs to happen.
First, it ensures that you do not get fired. Your employer cannot fire, suspend, or discipline you for missing work for a Covid-19 quarantine. If you hide the reason why you stay out of work for weeks, then they may take disciplinary action.
Second, this allows people to get tested and quarantine themselves. Your employer may even choose to keep everybody home for safety reasons.
Do not rely on the call from the public health department after you give them a list of who you exposed, because they may take days to call everybody. During these days, the virus could continue to spread around the workplace, infecting more people and making it an unsafe space to return.
3. Do Not Return to Work Early After Illness
Do not return to work after testing positive for Covid until the date given to you by the health department. This date keeps you quarantined long enough to ensure that you are no longer contagious.
Even if you reach your end date, do not return to work with a fever or other symptoms of illness. This usually indicates enough viral cells live in your body for you to still spread Covid.
Returning only after your full quarantine, and once you feel better, keeps everybody safe. It ensures that you recover properly and that you do not cause an outbreak at work.
4. Seek Remote Work
Seek out an employer that will allow you to work remotely for an extended period of time. Returning to work can seem detrimental for a number of reasons.
Your co-workers may feel unsafe working around you for a while if they know you fell ill. This can make you and them uncomfortable and unproductive.
If you got very sick from the virus, recovery may take a long time even after the virus goes away. This virus attacks a number of body systems and leaves some people feeling fatigued for a long time.
Going into work may tax your body and slow down your healing process. It also exposes you to other germs when your immune system still needs to rebuild after fighting off something so serious.
Even if you never got sick from Covid, going to work may expose you to the virus. Working remotely allows you to make money and remain productive while protecting yourself.
5. Social Distance
When you return to work, social distance. Some employers may stay strict with guidelines.
If they do not, then you should create your own boundaries. Keep six feet away from others and express this desire to people so they do not unknowingly crowd your space.
6. Practice Hand Hygiene
Wash your hands properly to upkeep workplace safety. Use warm water and soap, and scrub thoroughly.
To stay safe, wash more than you normally would, like every time you leave your desk or touch another surface. Keep hand sanitizer at your desk for when passing along paperwork and other items.
In business, professionals often go for the handshake. Opt-out of this social grace. To keep the mood light, show them an elbow bump or other fun way of connecting that does not spread germs.
7. Avoid Common Areas
Remember when you used to gather around the water cooler for a brief midday chat? Leave that in the past.
Common areas attract people, which means it increases your chances of a Covid exposure. Stay out of enclosed high-traffic areas when possible.
Ask to hold meetings over Zoom rather than in the conference room. If your employer cannot accommodate this for any reason, as if everybody can wear masks during the meeting.
If some people refuse, try not to worry. Simply do your part to wear a suitable mask and sit away from them.
8. Open Windows
Opening windows circulates the air. So, if somebody breathes out the virus near you, the particles will diffuse.
Spreading them out does not leave enough germs in one spot to actually infect anybody. Ask to keep windows open when it is not too cold.
Enjoy Returning to Work After Covid
With vaccines in place and people practicing healthy habits, you can finally live your life more freely. Enjoy returning to work after Covid by implementing safe practices for yourself.
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