What does it mean to go back to work safely post-lockdown?
COVID-19 has taught us the importance of social distancing in a way we have never imagined before. Indeed, keeping a 2-metre distance between us and other people has become the norm for the foreseeable future.
What does that mean for all the people using public transportation to get to work? On a normal day, the tube, buses and trains carry hundreds of thousands of people into London and the level of density in those tubes and trains does not allow for 2-metre social distancing.
After weeks or months of staying home and practising social distancing to halt the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it is not difficult to understand that many people will be wary of sitting or standing on overcrowded trains, tubes or buses in order to get to work. So what are our options to get back to work safely?
Getting back to work safely: solutions and ideas
If social distancing is still encouraged after the official easing of some lockdown restrictions, what are our options to get back to work while respecting the government’s recommendations? Do we dare take public transportation, hoping it is not too crowded?
We have been thinking about it here at Anderson Travel and have found what we think is the best solution: hire a coach. Companies might want to hire coaches for the exclusive use of employees for the journey to and from work. While this solution may incur an additional expense at a time when many companies are concerned about cash flow, the safety and peace-of-mind it provides to all employees certainly makes it a viable option.
We have adapted our operations to comply with the strictest sanitation standards as well as the UK government guidelines relating to social distancing. The best example we have is our 49-seater that is being transformed into a 25-seater allowing for a wide enough gap between passengers. We also provide hand sanitiser onboard & ensure that each coach is thoroughly disinfected before and after a service.
This solution would allow employees to be picked up at their homes or a convenient location nearby to be brought into work without compromising their safety, thus complying with social-distancing guidelines while ensuring the company does not suffer from lack of employees. A win-win situation all around!
