With most of New Zealand now in Alert Level 2, are you continuing to ensure that your store is promoting social distancing to help keep your staff and customers safe?
Social distancing: A reminder
We’ve heard this term a LOT over the past year but to refresh your memory, under the New Zealand Government’s social distancing guidelines, people should remain at least two metres apart to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 – especially the Delta variant.
Dairies must operate a “one-in one-out” policy and supermarket customers must be limited and stay at least a trolley’s length away from other customers.
Everyone, including staff, in a retail store or hospitality venue must wear a mask under Alert Levels 4, 3 and 2.
Below is a checklist of 10 practical steps and measures that retailers can take to continue to promote social distancing.
These measures will help keep your staff and customers safe and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
Signage and floor markings:
1. Erect posters and signage in-store reminding customers to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres (the length of a trolley can be used as a guide).
2. Place distinctive markings on the floor near the register to ensure that customers queue two metres apart (duct tape or masking tape can be used for this).
Hygiene and cleaning:
3. Frequently disinfect high-touch surfaces and objects (eg. tills, countertops, fridge door handles etc).
4. Clean cash registers and EFTPOS terminals with a soft cloth and alcohol-based cleaning solution. Avoid using water-based solutions to clean payment terminals as this may affect the functioning of circuit-boards.
5. Provide staff with disposable gloves to wear while handling items at the register. Ensure that these gloves are regularly replaced.
6. Place dispensers of hand sanitiser and extra masks on counters or at the store entrance for all staff and customers to use.
Payment methods:
7. Insist on customers using contactless payment methods such as payWave rather than cash.
Other practical measures:
8. Consider assigning an employee at the entrance of the store to monitor the number of customers entering at any one time. Consider erecting signs up saying ‘no more the X people in-store at a time’.
9. Space out your check-outs in-store to ensure a distance of at least two metres (if you have multiple check-outs).
10. If your business does home deliveries of alcohol, adopt contactless delivery methods for customers.
This checklist is an edited version of Retail Drinks Australia’s guidelines which were originally published on www.theshout.com.au
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