Covid case - one staff member

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Kelzo

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Joined
Jan 15, 2015
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Location
Wiltshire
Hi 🙋‍♀️, hoping to get some help on what to do if a staff member were to test positive for covid? 😬 One of our chair renters have tested positive, as we are closed anyway because of tier 4 restrictions it doesn’t effect us at the moment but if it happens when we reopen I’m not sure if we’d have to close the whole salon if no one else had any symptoms. Thank you for any advice on this , gov web says to socially distance so I’m assuming that would mean we have to close 😔
 
Hi Kelzo

I feel for you in tier 4. For what it’s worth I’ve got no bookings in tier 3 and I can’t claim any grant compensation so we’re not much better off.

regarding your question, my understanding is that it’s a case of one out all out. I’ve been told that our PPE etc won’t be accepted by NHS track and trace and we’ll all be told to isolate.

for this reason I substantially reduced availability so that we’re not all in at the same time. We have separate shifts so that we can cover the other’s appointments if team A need to stay home.
 
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Sorry to hear it’s not much better for you 😔 I was considering asking the team to split in case someone else gets covid, at least we could stay open. Thanks & I hope things improve soon for you 🤞
 
I am in tier 4 so closed but work on my own so don’t have the staffing issue but this is what happened to me.
A client kept her massage appointment whilst in isolation awaiting her Covid test results. I asked all the usual questions but she lied as she selfishly wanted to keep her appointments. She notified me the following day she was positive, meanwhile track and trace contacted and I had to close for 2 weeks with no pay after only being open 2 weeks after lockdown.

what I learnt was if you have been in close contact of less than 2m for more than 15 minutes you are classed as a close contact. The best way around it is to space out appointments and stagger staffing, that way it’s just you and your client if you’re affected
 
Some people are so selfish! I could rant on about the knock on effects of this one person but I won’t 😡 I Thought it was bad last year when one of my long regular clients turned up for foils Christmas week looking like death saying she dragged herself out of bed as she knew she wouldn’t get another appointment before Christmas... but that was flu not covid! Considering must people in our industry go out of their way to please clients, you’d think they’d be a little considerate 😢
 
Yes people are and you certainly see the best and worst of society when you work with the general public. Stay safe x
 
Some people are so selfish! I could rant on about the knock on effects of this one person but I won’t 😡 I Thought it was bad last year when one of my long regular clients turned up for foils Christmas week looking like death saying she dragged herself out of bed as she knew she wouldn’t get another appointment before Christmas... but that was flu not covid! Considering must people in our industry go out of their way to please clients, you’d think they’d be a little considerate 😢

That was unbelievably selfish of her. Even before Covid, flu can be a very debilitating and serious illness for some people. She obviously didn’t care that she could make you ill over Christmas.

Hopefully, more of us will feel confident to refuse service to clients who are clearly unwell, from now on.
 
Hi Kelzo

I feel for you in tier 4. For what it’s worth I’ve got no bookings in tier 3 and I can’t claim any grant compensation so we’re not much better off.

regarding your question, my understanding is that it’s a case of one out all out. I’ve been told that our PPE etc won’t be accepted by NHS track and trace and we’ll all be told to isolate.

for this reason I substantially reduced availability so that we’re not all in at the same time. We have separate shifts so that we can cover the other’s appointments if team A need to stay home.

Wow, I couldn't imagine having to stagger and reduce availability in this way for such a large set up.One good thing about us all being in tier 4 now is that hopefully you can claim for a grant or compensation. I've mentioned to you that I want to open a two treatment place with one reception area, the reception area would allow a 2m distance between clients.
I think I may need to employ your system (depending on how things are in the Summer) and stagger shifts ever so slightly so there is no need for more than one guest in the reception area at a time.

Kind of a shame as there is one staff kitchen so if the employee comes into contact than the whole place will need to shut. I wouldn't want to work only on separate /shifts days from them as that wouldn't be particularly supportive for a new employee in a new business. So grim!
 
Yes Covid safety is challenging. I felt that I couldn’t take the reputation risk of having staff/me spread Covid. Unfortunately my salon is narrow and there are pinch points in the common areas. I practised with my daughter (we’re in a support bubble) and we realised how difficult it would be to keep ourselves and our clients apart.

We also noticed how reluctant clients were to enter if they could see another client. My clients are sensible about risk (lucky for me).

Having separate rooms rather than (say) a waxing room and a nail area which are shared by therapists is Covid secure. Hot desking/room sharing isn’t allowed unless you deep clean and allow a long ventilation gap which isn’t very practical in the middle of the day.

You should have gaps between clients to clean and ventilate your rooms which helps with staggering
appointments. You should also talk to your clients and say “There’s an appointment just finishing in the other room, so please relax here for a few minutes and I’ll knock on your door when the reception is clear.”

You might get into a routine of offering set start times. I offer appointments at set 45 minute intervals (3:00, 3:45, 4:30) and I’ve learned a routine. It then wasn’t too difficult to offer an off set time for another appointment. it sounds very complicated but it happened organically by trial and error.

My clients worked out that if they were offered say 3:55 or 4:05 that they needed to be punctual for safety reasons.

There have been bonuses. We don’t allow consumption of food or drinks on the premises as the hand to maskless mouth and then on to high touch surfaces is not Covid secure. Clients are no longer picnicing during their pedi or arriving early and eating their lunch before their appointment. Not making a tea tray for our pedicure ladies has saved us loads of time, because now our clients are not distracted and make their colour choice very quickly! We also place belongings inside a basket which means they can’t be foraging in their bags constantly, and it’s cut down on endless texting - I didn’t realise how awkward it was to navigate around client clutter. Clients also seem to have much better control of their bladders. I notice that clients don’t ask next visit - maybe hearing me clean the loo makes them more conscious of Covid security.

I've found all these changes have improved the client experience. Clients are more focussed and present during their visit and the whole rebooking and retail purchases is so much smoother. Clients are decisive and organised when it’s time to pay and leave.

As long as you stay 2m apart if you’re in the same, ventilated space you should be ok. I use zoom for staff catch up and we exchange notes during a shift and emails after. We also have socially distanced meetings (during shift handover) wearing PPE which we barely notice anymore. Ironically I think it’s made us more effective communicators. Staff cohesion and morale has stayed strong.
 
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