** Disclaimer: Zupnick Associates does not claim to be, nor does it try to be a medically advising organization. The information shared in this article is based on publicly available information sourced from WHO and other NGOs. If you believe you have symptoms of Coronavirus, please see a medical professional immediately.**

Coronavirus is now in more than 160 countries all over the world. And the question that most people are asking reluctantly is what happens once you get the infection. How do you know if you have Coronavirus? Are you a professional wondering whether it is safe to go to work? The only way you can be sure is first to determine if you have the virus.

But how do you known if you have coronavirus? And once you find out what next? Should you go to work if you are showing symptoms? 

Absolutely not!

Coronavirus Signs and Symptoms

Protecting yourself and others should be your priority. This starts with self-monitoring. So, how do you know if you have Coronavirus? Look out for these symptoms:

• The first symptom to develop will be a cold or a common flu

• You will also build a fever after at least two to fourteen days after infection

• There are few reported cases of gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and diarrhea

• You might experience a dry cough and shortness of breath

• Other symptoms include fatigue, sore throat, headache, joint or muscle pain, chills, and a running nose.

Use this symptom checker to ease your concerns.

Health Measures for the Infected

Once you determine that you have any of these flu like symptoms: 

1. Notify your HR that you will be missing work.

2. Keep at least a 1.5-meter distance from other people.

3. Cover your sneezes and coughs with your elbow

4. Talk to someone about how you feel. 

5. If you need urgent medical care for symptoms such as breathing difficulties, visit your nearest medical facility. 

6. Ensure you wear a mask to help prevent the continuous spread of the virus. Your doctor will advise on whether you need a test or not. 

If it is determined that you require testing, your results will take a few days to come back. The CDC is conducting trials in the US in CDC labs and US Public Health laboratories. 

Once tested, the doctors will determine whether you need self-isolation or hospital isolation. 

How to Self-quarantine

When self-isolating at home:

• Do not go to work or other public places for at least 14 days

• Use delivery services to get food and other necessities

• Do not let visitors come to your home; this includes your family members

• Stay in contact with friends and family in case of emergency

• Wear a mask when going outside to the yard or garden

• Try to keep up with regular daily routines like exercise

• Work from home if you can

If, after 14 days, you have no developing symptoms, you can return to your workplace.

Managing Coronavirus in the Workplace

But, what happens if half of your business staff is on self-quarantine after showing symptoms of the virus? How do you ensure that the rest of your employees stay healthy and protected?

Recommend self-quarantine

Start by encouraging your sick employees to stay at home until they have no symptoms of the virus. Notify your HR of the employees' absence. Also, work with HR to provide flexible sick leave policies for all employees in the workplace.

Make sure that the employees are aware of the sick leave policies. Additionally, do not make it mandatory for employees to take sick leave with healthcare providers' notes. You want to minimize the interaction between ill and healthy employees as much as possible. 

Then, separate the sick employees. If any of your workers come to work with any of the coronavirus symptoms, isolate them and send them home immediately. 

Encourage your employees to practice proper hygiene

They should sneeze or cough into their elbows or cover their mouths and noses with a tissue. Offer hand hygiene at the entrance and within several areas of the workplace.

Offer your employees no-touch disposal receptacles and tissues. Encourage them to clean their hands several times throughout the day with a sanitizer. This means that you should provide the appropriate sanitizer, soap, and water.

Practice environmental cleaning routines in the workplace.

Make sure all touch surfaces are cleaned often. You can also provide the office with disposable wipes for wiping down surfaces before use.

Offer advice to your employees.

Place posters within your workplace building, offering preventative measures. Encourage employees to keep a close watch on symptom occurrence. Also, advice on precautionary measures to take when travelling.

Consider whether it will be prudent to close the shop for a while.

If already half of your workforce is at home, it would be better for the rest of the employees to work from home as they self-quarantine.

If you cannot run operations when your employees are at home, then close the shop for at least two weeks. It is better to be safe than to risk the health of your workers and business. 

Bottom-line

How do you know if you have Coronavirus? Coronavirus is flu. Therefore, check whether you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms such as fevers, chills, and dry coughs. Make sure that your workers know that it is okay for them to stay at home if they have any of the outlined coronavirus symptoms. 

If your business is still open, ensure that your workers are safe. Provide proper hygiene measures such as use of sanitizer to clean hands and regular cleaning of surfaces. When push comes to shove, close shop and send all your workers home. Wait until it is safe to go back to work.