Covid – 19 Preventative Measures Policy

Policy: In the event of an outbreak of a highly infectious and/or deadly disease, including a pandemic such as COVID-19, it is Kobe’s intention to protect our employees and our patrons and the community from widespread infection.

Procedures: Identify and implement protocols that everyone at the workplace must follow to keep workers safe. We have provided industry-specific protocols below to use as you develop the plan for your workplace. These protocols are a list of requirements and should be considered and implemented to the extent that they address the risk your workplace.

General Information 

Covid maximum capacity:  138

Physical distancing is a public health practice designed to limit the spread of infection by ensuring sufficient physical distance opportunities for close contact among persons, thereby decreasing the potential for disease transmission among people and slowing the spread of disease. Infectious disease cannot be transmitted person to person without physical contact, if those individuals did not have close proximity for more than a few minutes, and there was no evidence of body fluid transmission (no sneeze, cough or spitting). Therefore, situations where people are simply passing by each other, without prolonged contact or exposure of more then 10 minutes, are considered to be low risk.

Understanding the risk

The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads in several ways, including through droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, and from touching contaminated surfaces before touching the face. Higher risk situations require adequate protocols to address the risk.

  • The risk of person-to-person transmission is increased the closer you come to other people, the amount of time you spend near them, and the number of people you are near to. Physical distancing measures help mitigate this risk.
  • The risk of surface transmission is increased when many people contact same surface, and when those contacts happen in short intervals of time. Effective cleaning and hygiene practices help mitigate this risk.

Workplace Procedures for Physical Distancing

  1. Signage shall be posted in the workplace when physical distancing is in effect. The signage shall state that every person must maintain a minimum of 2 meters (or 6 feet) distance from each other and that physical distancing will be enforced.
  2. All jobs, tasks and workstations must be assessed by the Manager/Supervisor to determine if employees can maintain at least 2 meters distance from others. If people are working within 2 meters of each other, the hierarchy of risk controls must be implemented and at least one of the following measures must be taken:

First level protection (elimination): remove or eliminate job task completely

Second level protection (engineering controls): If you cannot always maintain physical distancing, install barriers such as plexiglass to separate people.

Third level protection (administrative controls): Establish rules and guidelines, such as cleaning protocols, telling workers to not share tools, or implementing one-way doors, staircases or walkways. 

Fourth level protection (PPE): if the first three levels of protection are not enough to control the risks, supply workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as non-medical masks. PPE should not be used as the only control measure. It should only be used in combination with other measures.

Physical Distancing

  • Modify in-person meetings to mitigate transmission risks. Holding in-person meetings in wide open spaces will also help mitigate risk.
  • Eliminate hand-to-hand contact with customers (handshakes, fists bumps, high-fives, etc.) When exchanging utensils or equipment, sanitizing between each guest is recommended.
  • Rearrange waiting areas – consider things like removing chairs and benches, asking guests to wait outside for a table, posting signs, stanchions, and signs on floor, etc.
  • Maintain a 2 meter distance from other workers and guests. If work activities mean that physical distancing cannot be maintained at all times, employers may consider the use of masks as an additional measure.
  • Provide hand sanitizer at the door for customers to use when they enter the restaurant.
  • Label floor and maintain a protocol for accessing and using washroom facilities where a 2 meter or 6 feet separation cannot be maintained.
  • Manage break times and stagger schedules to support maintain physical distances between people.
  • Health & Safety Board is up-to-date and accurate – all information of support workers with medical resource information that includes telephone numbers and website addresses for key medical, mental health and bullying resources. COVID-19 information from approved sources must be posted.
  • Encourage key drop deliveries to reduce contact between delivery workers and front of house workers.
  • No more than 2 people will be permitted in shared locker rooms or washrooms at any time. Signs must be posted on the entry doors to indicate occupancy restrictions.
  • When passing other people in hallways, doorways, stairwells, and other areas, keep as much distance between you as possible, do not touch each other when passing and turn your face away from the other person as you pass.  When walking in groups, stay single file with 2 meters distance between each person. Do not walk side by side.
  • If you need to hand an item to another person, place it down on a surface and step away to allow the other person to retrieve it from a safe distance.

Table Service 

  • Have guests pour their own refills of water at the table from a bottle or jug provided. Pre-pour water glasses at the water stations.
  • Have a designated place for the server to come to the table. This ensures that workers don’t have to squeeze in between customers.
  • Avoid refilling coffee cups at the table. Provide new cups with the new coffee.
  • If customers would like to take their unfinished food with them, provide them with packaging and let them put the food in the container.
  • Use single-use menus and dispose of them after taking them from the guest.
  • Try to limit the use of cash and limit the handling of credit cards whenever possible, by allowing customers to scan or tap their cards and handle the card readers themselves.
  • Staff a person to direct or install floor decals to facilitate the flow of people during busy times.

Person Hygiene Practices

In addition to physical distancing, appropriate personal hygiene is extremely important for preventing the spread of infectious diseases. All persons in the workplace must follow these procedures at all times:

    • Wash your hands when you enter and leave the facility when you enter and leave the production areas, before and after you prepare or eat food or smoke, after you sneeze, cough, use the washroom, handle waste or touch any surface that may be contaminated.
    • When hand washing is not possible, a hand sanitizer with minimum alcohol content of 60% should be used frequently. Sanitize often, between each customer transaction if possible.
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
    • Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into the crook of your arm. Immediately discard used tissues.
    • Immediately disinfect any surface that may have become contaminated.
    • Do not physically touch any other person in the workplace, unless for the purpose of providing help or first aid, and only when that person gives their permission.
    • With gloves, be sure to change and dispose as per restaurant protocol. Do not touch your face with gloved hands. Take care when removing gloves. Ensure you wash your hands after removing them.
    • With face masks, ensure they are not shared and are cleaned regularly. Ensure the face shield or mask does not result in touching your face more often because of heat or discomfort.
    • If you are sick, stay home / go home. Attending the workplace when sick puts everyone else at risk. Ensure to report your illness to your manager immediately, referencing the medical resource guide.
  • After you have entered the premises, you are to have your temperature taken by management. If you are read to be above 37.5 degrees Fahrenheit, you will be sent home and instructed to stay home for 2 weeks. 
  • Employees are to eat before their start time before they enter the restaurant. No outside food or drink is to be brought into any area a guest may be. All personal enclosed water bottles are to be kept inside the locker room.

Cleaning and Sanitation

Cleaning and sanitation are essential building blocks to infection prevention and outbreak control.

  • Cleaners: break down grease and remove organic material from the surface. Used separately before using disinfectants.
  • Sanitizers: reduce the level of microorganisms to a level that will not compromise the safety of food products. A food premises may sanitize equipment and utensils. Have sanitizers available to customers and staff. Install additional dispensers as needed. Place sanitizer for customers and staff at entrance, after checkout, and throughout the establishment.
  • Disinfectants: have chemicals that kill most germs. Disinfectants are ideal for frequently touched surfaces. Applied after the surfaces have been cleaned.
  • Disinfectant Wipes: have combined cleaners and disinfectants in one solution. May become dry due to fast drying properties. Should be discarded if they become dry. Not recommended for heavily soiled surfaces.
  • Common customer touched surfaces like serving counters, table tops and PIN pads, must be disinfected after each use.
  • Surfaces that have frequent contact with hands (key touch points) should be cleaned and disinfected frequently and when visibly dirty. Examples include doorknobs, telephones, elevator buttons, light switches, toilet handles, and dispensers and sink taps.
  • Minimize the number of people using each piece of equipment in instances where sharing equipment cannot be avoided. Equipment must be thoroughly sanitized when passing over to individuals.
  • Post hand washing signs near all sinks – staff washrooms/staff rooms/kitchens/etc… continually communicate good hand washing practices.
  • Increase cleaning between seatings. Tables and seats should be wiped when tables turn. Remove all items when turning a table, for example, discarded single-use items and debris.
  • Clarify procedures for cleaning staff areas and train accordingly.
  • Cleaning bathrooms thoroughly and on a more frequent basis.
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