At the same time, the physical distancing actions and stay-at-home instructions have caused significant business and job losses. Soon, Philadelphia residents and workers will restart economic and physical activities, but they must do so safely—that is, in a way that prevents the virus from spreading from person to person. Everyone must take precautions consistently to protect not only themselves, but also their family members, friends, colleagues, and everyone else. The precautions will vary by the activity and setting, but the general Safety Checklist will look like this:

• Masks – block the virus from spreading from infected persons by wearing masks and requiring others to wear them
• Barriers – use sneeze guards or plexiglass screens to prevent respiratory droplets expelled by infected persons from reaching others
• Isolate – keep people who might be carrying the virus safely away from others (ideally at home)
• Distance – maintain space between people to reduce the chance that one infected individual will infect others
• Reduce crowds – decrease the number of people that an infected person could pass the virus to if other steps are not successful
• Handwashing – reduce the spread of virus from one person to another from touching contaminated surfaces
• Clean – remove respiratory droplets that may contain virus from surfaces that people may touch
• Communicate – ensure staff, customers, and others taking part in permitted activities understand this Safety Checklist

This Safety Checklist must be followed at all times. If an employee, customer, or participant develops COVID-19 infection or has a positive test, businesses and other organizations must take additional precautions to stop the virus from spreading further, as described in Guidance for Essential Businesses and Organizations During COVID-19. Required precautions include calling PDPH at (215) 685-6741 to report positive cases.

If employees or customers want to report possible health and safety violations in the workplace related to COVID-19, please call 311.

If you have questions or concerns about the applicability of these guidelines to your business, please email business@phila.gov.

Note that guidance in this document is subject to change. Please check back for updates.