But the government is still managing a very real COVID crisis. And businesses and other organisations are having to take significant precautions against COVID-related risks, with no end in sight in terms of freedom from the virus in the months to come.
SafeGroup has been supporting employers throughout the pandemic, with a range of services. They include electrostatic spray decontamination.
Also a new super-tough antimicrobial coating, called Touchpoint Shield™ that protects against the COVID virus for up to three years.
And over the coming weeks, I expect demand for these services to increase, not diminish for one reason – Christmas.
I will explain why in a moment.
It involves the usual huge demand for Christmas goods.
And, of course COVID.
But also another, potentially, just as worrying virus.
And people who are so scared, that they are crying in their workplaces.
Jittery experts
First, a quick recap on where we are with COVID.
Infection rates are still very high. The number of people reported with COVID on 27th October alone was 43,941.
On the same day, the number of reported deaths from COVID was 169, with a seven day average of 111.
Compare that to the seven day average for deaths on 27th January 2021, which was 1,115.
The death rate is ten times lower because of the vaccination programme. Some experts even believe we are about to experience a big drop in the number of infections and deaths.
But even the experts remain jittery.
Last week, the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS leaders, said a back-up plan to tighten restrictions should be implemented straight away to protect health services.
Plan B, as it is called, would require mandatory COVID passports, making face coverings compulsory again, and advising people to work from home.
Delivering Plan B
The government has said Plan B will remain on the shelf.
What that means, in effect, is that many employers will need to have their own Plan Bs – to keep their operations working and to keep their teams happy and motivated.
SafeGroup is definitely a key element of that Plan B for a number of our clients.
For example, we provide responsive electrostatic spray decontamination for a major parcel delivery specialist.
When an employee goes down with COVID, we decontaminate associated vehicles and workspaces.
We do the same for a national haulage firm, where drivers of shared trucks need protection.
We provide decontamination services for a national COVID testing service.
During 2020 and 2021, we were tasked with delivering a rolling programme to disinfect 6,000 London buses at 50 depots every 28 days. And carrying out monthly disinfection at 133 bus depots across the UK.
I believe this kind of reactive or planned COVID protection is going to be increasingly critical in the run-up to Christmas.
The supply chain is already under severe strain due to the ongoing HGV driver shortages and worldwide disruption to the movement of goods.
Hauliers and the clients they look after cannot risk other shocks, such as trucks being impounded or even more drivers contracting COVID.
Nor can they risk their drivers and distribution centre workers worrying more than they have to about COVID in the workplace.
Both can quickly move to a competitor if they don’t believe they’re being looked after properly.
Tears of anguish
In fact, we’ve seen the anguish COVID can cause first hand.
Our teams have visited call centres (another vital facility in the run-up to Christmas) where workers have been in floods of tears because they are so worried about COVID.
In those circumstances, client managers have been very happy to see our decontamination team get to work to allay real concerns about personal safety.
This is also happening at a time when many employers have had to work very hard to persuade their staff to return to the workplace after working from home for many months.
Senior managers do not want to give their teams an excuse to demand to return to home working. The cost would be huge.
At the same time, many colleagues are not so much fearful about themselves but their loved ones.
They might be young and be able to fight off the virus. But those who live with, or care for, elderly relatives are particularly anxious as we move into winter, when COVID is at its most dangerous.
New threat emerging
Which brings us to another pressing issue also related to the COVID pandemic.
We’re now entering the flu season. And most experts agree it’s going to be a particularly tough one.
Before COVID, even in a bad year, around 30,000 people died from flu and pneumonia. Most of those died in the winter months.
Health leaders fear that figure could rise to more than 60,000 this year.
That’s because the COVID restrictions over the last 18 months have supressed the spread of immunity, putting people at great risk.
So, much in the same way that people can contract COVID at work and then infect vulnerable relatives in the home, the same can happen with flu.
Fortunately, for our clients, when we carry out our COVID decontamination, they also get a flu decontamination service.
An effective response
Our highly effective anti-viral and anti-bacterial disinfectant spray is just as effective against flu.
It has been proven to be highly effective at providing fast and comprehensive surface protection against a wide range of viral and bacterial threats.
But we are expected to get calls for assistance to specifically tackle the flu virus as well as COVID this winter.
As winter flu kicks in, concern about its impact is likely to rise sharply. In past years, 20 to 30 thousand people dying each year from flu was accepted as the norm.
After COVID, our sensitivity to infection and its presence in the places we work and socialise has been heightened.
Employers are increasingly aware that they must regard the wellbeing of their teams, as well as their physical heath.
So, the government might not see the need to implement its Plan B, but many employers may not feel they have a choice.
Those involved in delivering and selling food and drink and other festive products in the run up to Christmas will be particularly concerned to safeguard their supply chains.
Plan now for winter
If you want to put in place a reactive plan now, so you are ready for when you know you will need urgent intervention, talk to SafeGroup.
We can discuss how we can intervene with decisive decontamination support at the right time.
Or, with Touchpoint Shield, we can put in place long-term protection that maintains high levels of surface protection while reducing touchpoint cleaning to standard levels, saving significant amounts of money.
When it comes to these viral threats, we have a great deal of experience of working with businesses and organisations in many different sectors, so know where the pressure points are and how to help relieve them.
So, give us a call. COVID is still with us now. And to coin a phrase, winter is coming.
