CATERSTAFF COVID-19 Work Guidelines

The main goal of the Caterstaff COVID-19 Work Guidelines is to protect our employees, their families, and our clients.

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have had close contact with an individual who has been diagnosed in the past 14 days or have had close contact with someone who may have the virus, please notify your Manager and Rick Broughton immediately. Please do not come to work until given permission.

Caterstaff will implement four pillars to guide us in our work to ensure safety for everyone: Hygiene, Distancing, Masks, and Screening.

It is critical to understand and practice all four of the pillars together in order to minimize the risks and effects of the coronavirus. As we learned firsthand, individuals with no symptoms may have the virus and can infect others. Please keep this in mind as we strive to build a culture that considers others and ourselves. The following guidelines shall apply to everyone working at Caterstaff.

1. Hygiene:

Washing your hands is essential to stopping the transfer of infectious droplets from surfaces to your nose, mouth, and eyes. We will apply strict and frequent hand washing as well as frequent disinfecting of surfaces.

Handwashing Rules

• Employees must go directly to a sink to wash their hands upon entering any client building.
• Employees must wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 Seconds.
• Employees must wash their hands at least every 2 hours, and if wearing gloves, then they should also be changed after each handwashing.

• Hand sanitizer may be substituted if a sink is unavailable.
• Note that specific departments may require more frequent handwashing.

Disinfecting High-Touch Surfaces

• Employees must regularly disinfect high-touch surfaces in their work area, such as table tops, counter tops, door knobs, handles, faucets, computers, radio equipment, handrails, etc.
• Employees must remove access to non-essential items that are commonly shared, such as pens, paper, etc.
• Employees must minimize sharing of equipment such as tools, phones, computers, office supplies, etc.

2. Distancing:

While the six-foot rule is a general guideline, more distance should be taken when possible as respiratory droplets can often travel farther than six feet. In addition, employees should stay away from other department areas as much as possible to minimize exposure time with each other.

• Employees must maintain a minimum of six feet apart and practice physical distancing at all times when possible.
• Employees must use phone or virtual meetings in place of in-person meetings whenever possible, even if you’re calling someone from across the hall.
• Employees must not be in the same office unless absolutely necessary.
• Non-Kitchen employees are not allowed into the kitchen unless given permission by the Manager on site.
• Employees should eat meals in their own cars or outside, observing strict physical distancing whenever removing their mask to eat or drink.

3. Masks:

Masks act as physical barrier to stop the spread of germs. While uncomfortable, they are designed to keep others safe more than the wearer.         

Caterstaff will provide one facemask per day to each employee on-site.

• Employees must wear a facemask or face-covering at all times while in the workplace, as feasible. This includes both inside and outside of buildings on client property. The times you remove your facemask are only when eating/drinking or in your own private office or outside as much as possible.

Employees may use their own face coverings if they prefer but they must use a surgical mask as a filter and must wash cloth face coverings routinely.

4. Screening:

On arrival at Caterstaff each day, all employees will be required to have their temperature taken and fill out the online Pine Brook COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire asking about symptoms of COVID-19. This link should be saved as a shortcut on all employees’ mobile phones.

If any employee answers that they have any COVID-19 symptoms or have a temperature reading of 100.4 F or above, they will not be allowed to work that day.

Screening Protocol

There will be a screening checkpoint at Caterstaff to screen the majority of employees from 6:30 am to 12:30 pm.

• Employees should stay in their car or outside during the screening.
• Screener will use a contactless thermometer to check the employee’s temperature. If the employee’s temperature is above 100.4 F then the screen will instruct the employee to contact their manager and return home immediately.
• Employees then must complete the Pine Brook COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire on their symptoms and measured temperature using their own mobile device.
• The employee must show the completion page to the screener before receiving one mask.
• The process is subject to change as necessary.

5. Emergency Procedures:

Department managers will be responsible for reviewing the following with their employees:

• Emergency Response Procedures
• Location of AEDs, First Aid Kits, Fire Extinguishers.
• Building evacuation plan, emergency exits and assembly area(s).

What to do if an employee has been Exposed to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case?

1. Employees must immediately contact their Manager and Rick Broughton.
2. The employee should self-isolate at home for 14 days regardless of whether they have symptoms.
3. If the employee is tested to see if they have the virus (PCR, not antibody) and receives a negative test result, then the employee should contact Rick Broughton about whether the individual is considered a critical infrastructure worker and can return to Caterstaff before the end of the 14 days.

What to do if an employee is a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case?

1. Employees must immediately contact their Manager and Rick Broughton.
2. The employee should self-isolate at home and follow the advice of their medical professional. Caterstaff will pay for the employee’s test for suspected cases, if needed.
3. Caterstaff will notify all employees that there is a case at Caterstaff and identify which other employees have been in contact with the case.
   1. Caterstaff will pay for testing for those who were potentially exposed (PCR testing, not antibody).
   2. All exposed employees must stay home until their test results have been received.
   3. If the exposed employee’s test was negative, then the employee should contact Rick Broughton about whether they are considered a critical infrastructure worker (and should return to Caterstaff) or if they should stay at home for 14 days.
4. Caterstaff will notify the Cambridge Public Health Department for further Guidance.
5. Caterstaff will consider notifying clients that there is a case, as necessary.

Rules for Returning to Caterstaff after testing positive for COVID-19:

The employee must work with their manager to plan their return to Caterstaff using the guidelines below and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

People who HAD COVID-19 symptoms can return to Caterstaff under the following conditions:

• If you have NOT had another test to determine if you are still contagious, you can return to Caterstaff after these three things have happened:
  • You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers).

• Other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved).
• At least 10 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
• If you have had a test to determine if you are still contagious, you can return to Caterstaff after these three things have happened:
  1. You no longer have a fever (without the use of medicine that reduces fevers).
  2. Other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved).
  3. You received two negative tests in a row, at least 24 hours apart.

People who DID NOT have COVID-19 symptoms, but tested positive and have stayed home (home isolated) can return to Caterstaff under the following conditions:

• If you have not had another test to determine if you are still contagious, you can return to Caterstaff after these two things have happened:

• At least 10 days have passed since the date of your first positive test.
• You continue to have no symptoms (no cough or shortness of breath) since the test.
• If you have had another test to determine if you are still contagious, you can return to Caterstaff after:

You received two negative tests in a row, at least 24 hours apart.