NOTICE REGARDING CALIFORNIA STAY HOME ORDER
ORDER OF THE STATE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER
MARCH 19, 2020
The Governor of California advised of a stay at home order from the State Public Health Officer and Director of the California of Department of Public Health ordering all individuals in California stay home except as to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical infrastructure sectors.
Polar Mechanical Services, Inc. is a part of the essential work force under public works.
- Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences.
Polar Mechanical Services, LLC. Will remain open under this order. As you all know this is a rapidly evolving situation and we will keep you updated on any changes regarding operations and policies as needed to comply with State and Government Orders.
We strongly urge you to follow all guidelines of this order outside of work as advised by the order to protect yourself and public health.
- Stay at home.
- Only go out for essentials (i.e. food, water, medicine, etc.).
- It’s okay to take a walk, ride a bike, go for a hike, while still practicing social distancing.
COMPANY UPDATE – REGARDING COVID-19 (CORONA VIRUS)
At Polar Mechanical Services our top priority is the health and safety of our employees, customers and our community. Over the weekend, the first case of COVID-19 was announced in San Bernardino County. That is why we are closely monitoring developments related to COVID19 (Corona virus) daily and we will watch what is happening locally and adjust business operations and policies as needed. The situation is rapidly evolving and we believe it is critical that we maintain open lines of communication with our employees. Our goal is to keep our employees safe.
The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to the flu with fever, coughing and shortness of breath. It appears to mainly be spread through close person-to-person contact. It may be possible for someone to touch a surface or object with the virus on it and then touch their nose or mouth and become infected, but this is not the main spread of the virus, according to the CDC and other health experts.
We encourage you to stay home when you are sick. If an employee appearing to have acute respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or becomes sick during the workday, you will be asked to be sent home. If you are a technician out on the road and you become ill, please self-isolate and return home and notify Human Resources or Andrew Lewis.
If you have symptoms of acute respiratory illness you are advised to stay home and not come to work until you are free of fever (100.4 F or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). The goal is to not spread viruses at work and keep our workforce safe. The following guidelines include infection prevention measures from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and OSHA.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
- Cough and sneeze into a tissue and throw the tissue away and immediately wash your
hands. - Avoid contact with sick people.
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid sharing personal items with co-workers.
- Keep your living and work spaces clean and frequently disinfect surfaces and objects
that are often touched. - Use an alcohol based sanitizer when in public.
- Keep a “social distance” between you and co-workers and customers.
Social Distancing
- Avoid in person meetings. Use online conferencing or email when possible, even when
people are in the same building. - Unavoidable in-person meetings should be short, in a large meeting room where people can sit at least 3 feet from each other.
- Eliminate any unnecessary meetings
- Try to keep 6 feet apart when possible from co-workers and customers.
Please also use these tips in your daily life to decrease your risk of infection.
Traveling
- Check the CDC’s Traveler’s Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for each country to which you travel. It might become necessary to check for local transmission and community hot-spots before travel.
- Check yourself for symptoms of acute respiratory illness before starting travel and notify your supervisor and stay home if you are sick.
- Employees who become sick while traveling should notify their supervisor and promptly call a healthcare provider for advice if needed.
Additional Measures in Response to Currently Occurring Sporadic Importations of the COVID-19
- Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure. transmission and community hot-spots before travel.
- If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19 Polar Mechanical will inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but will maintain
confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Polar Mechanical will refer to the CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure and take the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of employees.
If You Are At Higher Risk
Who is at higher risk?
Early information out of China, where COVID-19 first started, shows that some people
are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness. This includes:
- Older Adults
- People who have serious chronic medical conditions like:
o Heart disease
o Diabetes
o Lung disease
If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious long-term health problem, it is extra important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease.
- Stock up on supplies.
- Take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others.
- When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact and wash your hands often.
- Avoid crowds as much as possible.
- Avoid cruise travel and non-essential air travel.
- During a COVID-19 outbreak in your community, stay home as much as possible to further reduce your risk of being exposed.
We’ll do our best to share information as it becomes available and keep you informed about what we are doing as a company to prevent the spread of the virus.
As some of you know, there is a shortage of Lysol spray, wipes and hand sanitizer. We are trying our best to get these items. We currently have these items on backorder. In the meantime we will supply cleaning solutions available to us.
If you have any questions or concerns please see Human Resources.
We appreciate you. We are here for you, and we’ll get through this.
We are all in this together,
Polar Mechanical Services, LLC