We’ve written before about the importance of access control in buildings and its significance in tracking, monitoring, and managing access throughout your McAllen, TX, commercial property.

Businesses haven’t had the easiest time navigating the new normal of COVID-19, but many companies are taking this time as an opportunity to innovate and further protect their employees and customers.

Read on to learn how an access control system can mitigate the spread of illness during this challenging time in McAllen, TX.

SEE ALSO: 3 Ways to Approach Access Control

How Contact Tracing Works

Say one of your employees becomes ill, takes a COVID-19 test, and receives a positive result. Contact tracing helps prevent further infection of your other employees because it allows you to warn staff of their potential exposure to an infected individual.

In order to learn this information, a business will work backward to determine where an infected person visited, how long they were in those areas, and who they came into contact with while in those areas. Instead of spending hours on personal interviews and retracing an employee’s steps, why not use informed technology solutions to assist you? An expertly installed access control system that incorporates security and surveillance measures is the recommended tool. Access control is also more reliable than the memory of a stressed staff member that was just found to be positive of COVID-19.

Build a Timeline

As recommended by the CDC, the degree of other employees’ proximity to an infected individual in the days leading up to a diagnosis and subsequent isolation should be determined. If anyone was within 6 feet of someone for 15 minutes or more, any time from 2 days before the onset of illness until the ill person went into isolation, those people should be isolated and monitored for illness. Once you can build a timeline of contact, you can notify the staff immediately and take the appropriate precautions. Establishing this timeline early prevents additional understaffing and any potential store closures needed for extensive cleaning and sanitization.

A Powerful System

To craft this timeline and trace contact, you will need an access control system that supports this investigative work. Surveillance cameras monitor entry and through points and inform business owners of who has been where and when they were there. Key fobs and biometric devices are additional security layers that prevent individuals from entering secure areas of your Texas building.

Using touchless systems can further reduce the spread of germs because infected individuals will not touch doorknobs or keypads. You can also incorporate fever screening systems to check temperatures at the main entry point of your McAllen business. These screening systems provide business owners with an additional layer of protection from liability and illness.

As your business continues to evolve during this time, remember that proper preparation is your best defense against the spread of illness. Contact Circle Industries today to get started!