C&C TAX PREPARATION'S COVID-19 PROTECTION PLAN

At C&C Tax Preparation we're committed to protecting our community during the global Covid-19 pandemic.  The safety of our customers, our team, and the community as whole is paramount. We've taken every precaution to make sure that we keep everyone around us healthy. These efforts, in line with the CDCs Covid guidelines, will be be in place until the pandemic has been come to an end. Check out our efforts below.

WHAT WE'RE DOING TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY DURING THE PANDEMIC

At the C&C Office

Our team members diligently observe the CDCs guidelines by

• Wearing masks throughout the work day
• Requiring customers to wear masks inside the office
• Socially distancing
• Maintaining clean workspaces by regularly disinfecting desks.
• Adopting hands-free, low, and no contact interactions with customers
• Providing hand sanitizers and disposable masks to our customers
• Disinfecting the office and the end of the day, EVERY DAY.
• Limiting the amount of customers we serve in office to ensure social distancing.

Via Our Services

We've adopted a variety of methods to ensure our customers and our team feel safe. We're now offering the following no-contact options

• Virtual Appointments via Zoom
• Telecom Appointments via Phone
• Offering Mail-In or Drop-Off form submissions

HOW WE'RE PROTECTING OUR TEAM MEMBERS

The safety of our team member is extremely important at C&C Tax Preparation. Here's how we're protecting our team and slowing the spread.

Actively encourage sick employees to stay home

• Employees who have symptoms should notify their supervisor and stay home. CDC recommends testing for people with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and for all close contacts of persons with COVID-19.
• Employees who are sick with COVID-19 should isolate and follow CDC-recommended steps. Employees who are asymptomatic (have no symptoms) or pre-symptomatic (not yet showing symptoms) but have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection should also isolate and follow CDC-recommended steps. Employees should not return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met, in consultation with healthcare providers.
• Employees who are well but who have a sick household member with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and follow CDC-recommended precautions.
• Employers are encouraged to implement flexible, non-punitive paid sick leave and supportive policies and practices as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent and reduce transmission among employees. Some employees may be eligible to take leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) 
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• or the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
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Conducting daily in-person or virtual health checks (e.g., symptom and temperature screening) of employees before they enter the facility, in accordance with state and local public health authorities and, if available, your occupational health services. Screening and health checks are not a replacement for other protective measures such as social distancing, mask wearing (unless respirators or facemasks are required), and engineering controls, including proper ventilation. Symptom and temperature screening cannot identify people with SARS-CoV-2 infection who are asymptomatic (do not have symptoms) or are pre-symptomatic (have not developed signs or symptoms yet but will later).

For Virtual health checks, we encourage individuals to self-screen prior to coming onsite. An electronic monitoring system could be implemented in which, prior to arrival at the facility, employees report absence of fever and symptoms of COVID-19, absence of a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the prior 10 days, confirm they have not been exposed to others with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the prior 14 days, and confirm they are not undergoing evaluation for SARS-CoV-2 infection such as pending viral test (nucleic acid amplification test or antigen test).

For in-person health checks, we conduct them safely and respectfully and in a way that maintains social distancing team members of  in and entering the screening area. Team members should not enter the worksite past the screening area if any of the following are present:

• Symptoms of COVID-19
• Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (oF) or higher or report feeling feverish
• Undergoing evaluation for SARS-CoV-2 infection (such as pending viral test)
• Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the prior 10 days
• Close contact to someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the prior 14 days

Follow guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding confidentiality of medical records from health checks. 

To prevent stigma and discrimination in the workplace, make employee health screenings as private as possible. Do not make determinations of risk based on race or country of origin and be sure to maintain confidentiality of each individual’s medical status and history.

Ensure personnel performing in-person screening activities are appropriately protected against exposure to potentially infectious workers entering the facility. Methods known to reduce risk of transmission include social distancing, physical barriers, and mask wearing. If social distance or barrier controls cannot be implemented during screening, personal protective equipment (PPE) can be used when the screener is within 6 feet of an employee. However, reliance on PPE alone is a less effective control and may be more difficult to implement given PPE shortages and training requirements. Ensure screeners are trained on proper use and reading of thermometers per manufacturer standards; improper calibration and use can lead to incorrect temperature readings.

Below are examples that can be incorporated into the in-person screening process.

• Social Distancing: Ask employees to take their own temperature either before coming to the workplace or upon arrival at the workplace. Upon their arrival, stand at least 6 feet away from the employee and:
• Ask the employee to confirm that their temperature is less than 100.4o F (38.0o C)
• Make a visual inspection of the employee for signs of illness, which could include flushed cheeks, sweating inappropriately for ambient temperature, or difficultly with ordinary tasks
• Screening staff do not need to wear PPE if they can maintain a distance of 6 feet; however, screening staff and employees being screened should wear masks.

• Barrier/Partitional Controls: During screening, our screener should stand behind a physical barrier, such as a glass or plastic window or partition, that can protect the screener’s face and mucous membranes from respiratory droplets that may be produced when the employee sneezes, coughs, talks, or breathes. Upon arrival, our screener wears a mask and washes hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or, if soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. For each employee:

• Make a visual inspection of the employee for signs of illness, which could include flushed cheeks, sweating inappropriately for ambient temperature, or difficulty with ordinary tasks.

• How we conduct temperature and symptom screenings
• Put on disposable gloves.
• Check the employee’s temperature, reaching around the partition or through the window. Make sure the screener’s face stays behind the barrier at all times during the screening.
• Contact thermometers need to be cleaned and disinfected after each screened employee according to manufacturer’s instructions and facility policies. Non-contact thermometers should be cleaned and disinfected according to manufacturer’s instructions and facility policies.
• Remove and discard gloves, and wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds between each employee. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• If disposable or non-contact thermometers are used and the screener does not have physical contact with the individual, the screener’s gloves do not need to be changed before the next check. Gloves should be removed and discarded if soiled or damaged. Gloves should not be worn continuously for more than for four hours. After removing gloves, screeners should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Gloves should be removed and discarded anytime they are soiled or damage.
• PPE: Screeners are to be trained on how to properly put on, take off and dispose of all PPE. Upon arrival, the screener should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and put on a facemask or respirator, eye protection (goggles or disposable face shield that fully covers the front and sides of the face), and a single pair of disposable gloves. Extended use of a facemask or respirator and eye protection may be implemented. A gown could be considered if extensive contact with an employee is anticipated.
• We created a visual inspection of the employee for signs of illness, which could include flushed cheeks, sweating inappropriately for ambient temperature, or difficulty performing ordinary tasks.

• How we conduct temperature and symptom screening
• If performing a temperature check on multiple individuals, the screener should change their gloves and wash their hands or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol between each employee.
• Contact thermometers need to be cleaned and disinfected after each screened employee according to manufacturer’s instructions and facility policies. Non-contact thermometers should be cleaned and disinfected according to manufacturer’s instructions and facility policies.
• If disposable or non-contact thermometers are used and the screener does not have physical contact with the individual, the screener’s gloves do not need to be changed before the next check. Gloves should not be worn continuously for more than for four hours. After removing gloves, screeners should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Any PPE, including gloves, facemask, respirator, eye protection, and gown, should be removed and discarded if soiled or damaged.