We’re Here for You: Coronavirus Precautions & Resources

Over the course of a few short weeks, the rapid spread of COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, has changed our lives dramatically. Conferences have been canceled, traveling staff are grounded, and offices closed abruptly in favor of remote work. We’re all nervous and. things are changing quickly.  We know you’re wondering what you should do to take precautions and how our workplaces should be supporting us to stay safe during this turbulent time. We are too. We reached out to some experts in the reproductive health, rights, and justice field for help and suggestions on how to prioritize everyone’s safety, especially when it comes to sexual and reproductive health care and what we need from our workplaces. We hope their guidance provides some comfort.

First, take a moment to read this explainer about your rights at work related to COVID-19 thanks to Legal Aid at Work.

Cut the Bullshit

Do not allow Coronavirus to spread racist, xenophobic, and ableist stereotypes and discrimination. If you hear it, see it, receive a text about it, hear your racist family member say it—call it out! This virus knows no borders and we don’t need to spread hate in addition to germs. Here are a few articles and resources of note.

Take Practical Precautions

Access to abortion and reproductive healthcare services don’t stop just because of a pandemic. Patients will always need access to healthcare, particularly abortions, which can’t be (even more) delayed because of the increased cost, state restrictions, gestational limits, and fewer clinics. At the same time, we must balance supporting the health and well-being of clinic workers during this time. We crowd-sourced ideas and reached out to the Abortion Care Network for their suggestions on how clinics can make sure to protect workers and patients.

  • #StayTheFuckHome, if you can

  • Staff and patients should wash their hands frequently with soap and warm water. Clinics should provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60-95% alcohol in all areas, and encourage frequent hand sanitizer usage by patients and staff 

  • Everyone should avoid touching their own and others’ eyes, nose, and mouth

  • Follow the rules of social distancing by greeting  each other from a distance (at least six feet), and avoid handshaking and unnecessary touching

  • When you cough and sneeze, use a tissue (and throw it away) or your elbow and wash your hands or use sanitizer as soon as you can

  • If you or patients have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, advise them to stay home and call your primary care physician to seek further information

  • Review your local community’s safety plan around COVID-19—usually on your local or state government’s website—and check the Centers for Disease Control’s website for up-to-date information

  • Review resources on how COVID-19 impacts people who are pregnant (resources from the CDC, Guttmacher, and Harvard Medical School) and people living with HIV

The Abortion Care Network suggests clinics should:

  • Get to know who in your community is screening for COVID-19 so that staff can provide referrals for patients and be prepared to send their own staff for testing

  • Make sure you are aware of healthcare and public health emergency planning and response activities in your community

  • Learn about plans to manage patients, accept transfers, and share supplies.

  • Have an active referral list of providers for patients calling in and/or presenting with acute respiratory illness.

  • Keep up to date on what others are doing, such as  clinic like e Feminist Women’s Health Center, Whole Woman’s Health, and Carafem, sharing what patients can expect when receiving services on their websites

We at ReproJobs believe employers in offices and clinics should:

  • Give appreciations liberally—we’re all anxious and stressed right now—and some of us are honestly missing a bit of human connection. Appreciations, thank yous, air high fives are free. Give them out as much as you can! We’re all doing the best we can

  • Check-in with each other at the beginning of each shift and throughout the day. Find out what your colleagues need when it comes to support and listen to what they say

  • Notify staff as soon as there is a possibility for their exposure to COVID-19 so that they can take necessary precautions with their families and loved ones

  • Offer paid sick leave for all staff (regardless of illness or employment status, meaning both part-time and full-time people) and interns, and encourage sick employees to stay home to rest and recover. Now is not the time for guilt trips!

  • Help staff understand paid leave laws and inform staff of their rights 

  • Make hand sanitizer, soap, face masks, and disposable gloves available to all staff and allow them to wear them while performing their work duties

  • Wipe down all surfaces and mass touched items like pens, clipboards, phones, doorknobs, and chairs in between usage, and allow staff to use their own pens to limit sharing

  • Transition all non-essential and non-patient facing staff to remote work and support them in setting up laptops and internet services in their homes

  • If staff do not have adequate childcare, offer them unlimited (or the most you can do) paid family leave. They should not have to choose between caring for their families (including children, elders, relatives, disabled loved ones, partners) and keeping their job 

  • Do not punish, discipline, or fire a staff member if they decide that they are not comfortable working right now. Offer them paid leave and coordinate with the rest of your staff to cover their work, if possible

  • Reset expectations for deadlines and extend them as long as possible, as many staff are dealing with anxiety, transitions, family members who have been exposed or tested positive, and not having adequate childcare. Preservation over productivity!

  • Ensure cleaning staff are supported and protected—particularly if your clinic or office outsources to a service. Ask your maintenance and janitorial staff how they are doing and make sure they have resources and the ability to care for themselves, including taking paid sick leave

  • If you choose to order food for staff to limit their need to go outside (which you should!), order individual meals rather than “family-style” to limit cross-contamination and use disposable utensils. If you’re ordering out, consider ordering from smaller local restaurants and Asian restaurants as their locations are suffering financially. While several cities have prohibited in-restaurant dining, for the time being, they can offer takeout and delivery. Encourage the delivery drivers to leave the food in the lobby or outside the front door to avoid staff and the delivery driver’s exposure. Additionally, if you can, tip well (at least $10-$15 to ensure they earn a living wage) as their livelihood depends on it right now. Check out Restaurant Opportunities Center United’s app that points you to restaurants that offer employees a livable wage, paid time off, and pledges racism-free and sexual harassment-free workplaces

Pay Vendors, Contractors, and Fundraisers

Many organizations hold their annual conferences and fundraisers in the spring and are now at a loss about what to do. It’s time to get creative—here are a few resources to help. As conferences are canceled and fundraisers are postponed, we also encourage organizations to pay cancellation fees, deposits, or the full payment to creatives, speakers, consultants, and others whose income is dependent on the fulfillment of a contract. Anything from 25% (over a month out) to 75% (a week or less out) depending on the timeline and how much work has been completed is standard if a contract was not in place. Some have suggested that you can buy a gift card for a vendor’s service or from your favorite store so that they have the funds now and you can purchase their services at a later date—or not at all and just be a caring customer.

Figure Out Your Income & How You Can Help Others

For people who are unemployed or losing income due to canceled events or loss of work, you may want to apply for unemployment benefits. You can learn more about that here and here. If you need financial help—or are looking for ways to get involved—check out various mutual aid programs across the country supporting domestic workers, creatives, and other workers. If you’re undocumented, check out the National Immigration Law Center’s website for information on applying for unemployment and the intricacies of “public charge.” Here’s a great list from Jezebel on how you can help from a distance.

Donating money to your local food bank and homeless shelters is huge, as are little acts of not stockpiling WIC-qualifying foods to ensure folks enrolled in the program are able to access what they need. Additionally, if you haven’t already, start a monthly donation to your local abortion fund and/or independent abortion clinic to ensure that patients who aren’t able to receive their abortions right now are supported and able to as soon as they can—and because they’re incurring additional hotel and ride costs without volunteers being able to open their homes or cars at this time.

Finally, here’s a great explainer from Ask A Manager on what to do if your organization or coworkers are showing their asses with their COVID-19 response. And a bit of wisdom.

We aren’t sure what’s next, and yes we’re worried too. But we also know that we’ll get through this together. We’ve got each other.

Prioritize You, GeneralReproJobs Team