In January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei province, China to be a public health emergency of international concern. WHO stated there is a high risk of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreading to other countries around the world.

WHO and public health authorities around the world are taking action to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. However, long-term success cannot be taken for granted. All sections of our society — including businesses and employers — must play a role if we are to stop the spread of this disease.

How COVID-19 spreads

When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects, such as desks, tables or telephones. People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects — and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. If they are standing within one metre of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a manner similar to the flu.

Most people infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience more serious illness and may require hospital care. Risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those under 40. People with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness.

Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace

The low-cost measures below will help prevent the spread of infections in your workplace, such as colds, flu, and stomach bugs, and protect your customers, contractors, and employees.

Employers should start doing these things now, even if COVID-19 has not arrived in the communities where they operate. They can already reduce working days lost due to illness and stop or slow the spread of COVID-19 if it arrives at their workplaces.

• Make sure workplaces are clean and hygienic

Surfaces (eg desks and tables) and objects (eg telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly.

Why? Because contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.

• Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors, and customers.

Put sanitising hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled.

Display posters promoting hand-washing — ask your local public health authority for these or look on www.WHO.int.

Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings, and information on the intranet to promote hand-washing.

Make sure that staff, contractors, and customers have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water.

Why? Because washing kills the virus on your hands and prevents the spread of COVID-19