What industries are affected by Phase Three of the federal guidance for reopening?

In short, all industries are affected by phase three of reopening the country during the global Coronavirus pandemic. Not only does phase three allow for full staffing capability at businesses, it allows for larger group settings, and less restrictions on customers entering somewhere like a retail business. Employers, employees, and visitors must still exercise caution during the reopening of the country as the virus will not have been completely eradicated during this time due to the lack of a vaccination.

With all that in mind, this means that employers must still take into consideration those who are at a higher risk of infection or death from Covid-19. Accommodations such as allowing them to work from home and, of course, sticking to their site-specific exposure control plan are essential in protecting others from becoming infected.

Phase three of reopening the country involves the following:

• There has been at least a two-week period where there are less and less Covid-19 hospitalizations without a rebound of cases occurring in a five-day period.
• There has been a visible decrease in newly identified Covid-19 cases without a five-day period of increasing cases.
• There must be a downward trend in the percentage of cases turning up positive with the systematic increase in testing capabilities after entering phase two.
• There must not be a staff shortage in the healthcare department as well as more than fifteen days’ worth of PPE available.
• The percentage of test availability and positive cases from those tests should be less than 10% for a full two weeks.

If employees are able to continue working from home, the employer should have that option available for them even if the country is reopening. The concern is the lack of immunity until a vaccine is available to the public because until then, phase three can still lead to another wave of infections if not taken seriously.