COVID Policy

Our Business Role

At Elly’s of Glenview, we strive to play a key role in preventing and slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within the workplace. We have control plans in place that take into account workplace factors such as feasibility of social distancing in our restaurant, ability to stagger employee shifts, and the degree to which employees interact with the public in person. We are coordinating with state and local officials monthly to obtain timely and accurate information to inform appropriate responses. Local conditions have shaped and will continue to shape the decisions that both us and public health officials will make regarding strategies.  Those strategies are built around the idea that as a business, we can do the following:

• prevent and reduce transmission among employees,
• maintain healthy business operations, and
• maintain a healthy work environment.

Employee Health and Safety Procedures

Preventing and Reducing Transmission among Employees

At Elly’s, we are monitoring federal, state, and local public health communications about COVID-19 regulations, guidance, and recommendations to ensure that all our employees have access to that information. We frequently check the CDC COVID-19 website for the most up to date information regarding the prevention and reduction of COVID to better apply those practices to our workplace.

Employees who have symptoms are encouraged to notify their supervisor and stay home. We recommend our employees get tested if they experience any signs or symptoms of COVID or have been in close contact with any person with COVID. Employees who are sick with COVID are being told to 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 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 managers at Elly’s and follow CDC-recommended precautions.

At Elly’s, we are providing non-punitive paid sick leave to all employees who have tested positive, experienced symptoms, or have known to have been in close contact with someone who tested positive with COVID.

For in-person health checks, Elly’s is conducting them safely and respectfully and in a way that maintains social distancing of workers.  Workers should not enter the worksite 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 
• 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

Regarding the confidentiality of medical records and in order to prevent stigma and discrimination in the workplace, Elly’s is attempting to make health screenings as private as possible. We 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. For more details, we follow guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Providing a Safe and Healthy Workplace

At Elly’s, we are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for both our employees and customers.

We identify where and how workers might be exposed to individuals with COVID-19 at work and take the appropriate steps to minimize exposure.

We ensure all employees wear masks in accordance with CDC and OSHA guidance as well as any state or local requirements.

Elly’s and the CDC recommends wearing a mask, which covers the nose and mouth and fits snugly against the sides of the face, as a measure to contain the wearer’s respiratory droplets and help protect their co-workers and members of the general public. Masks should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

Masks are meant to help prevent workers who do not know they have the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading it to others; however, masks might provide some protection to wearers.

Masks do not provide the same level of protection as a medical facemask or respirator and should not replace PPE required or recommended at the workplace.

At Elly’s, we remind our employees and customers that CDC recommends wearing masks in public settings and when around people who do not live in their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Wearing a mask, however, is not a substitute for social distancing. Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart.

Exposure to Virus

At Elly’s, we try to determine which employees may have been exposed to the virus and may need to take additional precautions:

• Employers have an obligation to manage the potentially exposed workers’ return to work in ways that best protect the health of those workers, their co-workers, and the general public.
• Inform employees of their possible close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection in the workplace, but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Our workplace follows the Public Health Recommendations for Community-Related Exposure. The most protective approach for the workplace is for exposed employees (close contacts) to quarantine for 14 days, telework if possible, and self-monitor for symptoms. This approach maximally reduces post-quarantine transmission risk and is the strategy with the greatest collective experience at present.
• Although CDC continues to recommend a 14-day quarantine, options are provided for shorter quarantine that may end after day 7 or after day 10 based on certain conditions. Alternatives to the 14-day quarantine are described in the Options to Reduce Quarantine for Contacts of Persons with SARS-CoV-2 Infection Using Symptom Monitoring and Diagnostic Testing. Shortening quarantine may increase willingness to adhere to public health recommendations. However, shortened quarantine may be less effective in preventing transmission of COVID-19 than the currently recommended 14-day quarantine.
• Elly’s considers these quarantine alternatives as measures to mitigate staffing shortages, but they are not the preferred options to mitigate staffing shortages. We understand that shortening the duration of quarantine might pose additional transmission risk. At Elly’s, we also consider workplace characteristics when considering if this additional transmission risk is acceptable (e.g., level of community transmission, ability to maintain social distancing, proportion of employees at increased risk for severe illness, and priority for continuity of operations). Employers should counsel workers about the need to monitor for symptoms and immediately self-isolate if symptoms occur during the 14 days after their exposure and the importance of consistent adherence to all recommended mitigation strategies (e.g., mask wearing, social distancing, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, and proper ventilation).
• Implementation of testing strategies can supplement measures to reduce transmission in the workplace. Repeated testing over time, also referred to as serial testing, may be more likely to detect infection among workers with exposures than testing done at a single point in time.

Separating Sick Employees

At Elly’s we are taking the necessary precautions to separate sick employees:

• Employees who appear to have symptoms upon arrival at work or who become sick during the day should immediately be separated from other employees, customers, visitors, and sent home.
• Call 911 for the safe transport of an employee who becomes sick while at work. The employee may need to be transported home or to a healthcare provider.
• Wait 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting to minimize potential for other employees being exposed to respiratory droplets. If waiting 24 hours is not feasible, wait as long as possible.

• During this waiting period, open outside doors to increase air circulation in these areas.
• If it has been 7 or more days since the sick employee used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection are not necessary. Continue routinely cleaning and disinfecting all high-touch surfaces in the facility.

Education

At Elly’s, we are committed to educating employees about steps they can take to protect themselves at work and at home:

• We encourage employees to follow any new policies or procedures related to illness, cleaning and disinfecting, and work meetings
• We advise employees to:
  • Stay home if they are sick, except to get medical care, and to learn what to do if they are sick.
  • Inform their manager/supervisor if they have a sick household member at home with COVID-19 and to learn what to do if someone in their home is sick.
  • Wear a mask when out in public and when around people who do not live in their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Masks should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
  • Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or to use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Inform employees that if their hands are visibly dirty, they should use soap and water instead of hand sanitizer. Key times for employees to clean their hands include:
    • Before and after work shifts
    • Before and after work breaks
    • After blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing
    • After using the restroom
    • Before eating or preparing food
    • After putting on, touching, or removing cloth face coverings
  • Avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of their elbow. Throw used tissues into no-touch trash cans and immediately wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. Learn more about coughing and sneezing etiquette on the CDC website.
  • Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces such as workstations, telephones, handrails, countertops, towels, computer screens, cash, cards, receipts, trays, and doorknobs. Dirty surfaces can be cleaned with soap and water prior to disinfection. To disinfect, we recommend that employees use products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2
  • Avoid using other employees’ towels, books, pens, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. Clean and disinfect them before and after use.
  • Practice social distancing by avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance (at least 6 feet) from others when possible.

Commuting to Work

For employees who commute to work using public transportation or ride sharing, Elly’s is offering the following support:

• We recommend biking, walking, driving or riding by car either alone or with household members.
• We ask employees to follow the CDC guidance on how to protect yourself when using transportation.
• We are flexible with employees’ schedules and allow employees to shift their hours so they can commute during less busy times.
• We ask employees to clean their hands as soon as possible after their commute.

Maintaining a Healthy Workplace

To maintain a healthy workplace, we at Elly’s:

• Ensure that sick leave policies are flexible, non-punitive, and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of and understand these policies.
• Maintain flexible policies that permit employees to stay home to care for a sick family member or take care of children due to school and childcare closures. Additional flexibilities might include giving advances on future sick leave and allowing employees to donate sick leave to each other.
• Support some workers, who may be eligible to take leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the Families First Coronavirus Response Act 
• Require a COVID-19 test result or a healthcare provider’s note for employees who are sick to validate their illness, qualify for sick leave, or to return to work.
  • Under the American’s with Disabilities Act, employers are permitted to require a doctor’s note from their employees
  •  to verify that they are healthy and able to return to work. However, as a practical matter, be aware that healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely manner. Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care and can follow CDC recommendations to determine when to discontinue home isolation and return to work.
• Review human resources policies to make sure that our policies and practices are consistent with public health recommendations and with existing state and federal workplace laws
• Connect employees to employee assistance program (EAP) resources, if available, and community resources as needed. Employees may need additional social, behavioral, and other services, for example, to help them manage stress and cope.
• Protect employees at higher risk for severe illness through supportive policies and practices.
• Realize that Older adults and people of any age who have certain underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

• Consider offering employees at higher risk for severe illness duties that minimize their contact with customers and other employees (e.g., restocking shelves rather than working as a cashier), if the worker agrees to this.
• Ensure that any other businesses and employers sharing the same workspace also follow this guidance.Communicate supportive workplace policies clearly, frequently, and via multiple methods
• Try to communicate with non-English speakers in their preferred languages.

• Train workers on how implementing any new policies to reduce the spread of SARS CoV-2 may affect existing health and safety practices.
• Communicate to any contractors or on-site visitors about changes that have been made to help control the spread of SARS CoV-2. We ensure that they have the information and capability to comply with those policies.
• Create and test communication systems that employees can use to self-report if they are sick and that you can use to notify employees of exposures and closures, such as email or calling their supervisor/manager

We are constantly assessing our essential functions and the reliance that others and the community have on our services or products. 

At Elly’s we are:

• Are prepared to change our business practices, if needed, to maintain critical operations (e.g., identify alternative suppliers, prioritize existing customers, or temporarily suspend some of our operations).
• Identify alternate supply chains for critical goods and services. Some goods and services may be in higher demand or unavailable for the time being
• Provide our business with contract or temporary employees, talk with them about the importance of sick employees staying home and encourage them to develop non-punitive leave policies.
• Talk with business partners about our response efforts. Share best practices with other businesses in your communities (especially those in your supply chain), chambers of commerce, and associations to improve community response efforts.
• Identify and prioritize job functions for continuous operations. Minimize the number of workers present at worksites by balancing the need to protect workers with support for continuing operations
• Determine how we will operate if absenteeism spikes from increases in sick employees, those who stay home to care for sick family members, and those who must stay home to watch their children until childcare programs and K-12 schools can resume their normal schedules.

• Plan to monitor and respond to absenteeism at the workplace.
• Implement plans to continue our essential business functions in case we experience higher-than-usual absenteeism.
• Institute flexible workplace and leave policies.
• Cross-train employees to perform essential functions so the workplace can operate even if key employees are absent.

Delaying Travel

At Elly’s, we discourage traveling in large or crowded groups during the pandemic. We:

• Advise employees, if they must travel, to follow CDC’s latest recommendations for travel during COVID-19.
• Ensure employees who become sick while traveling or on temporary assignment understand that they should notify their supervisor and promptly call a healthcare provider for advice if needed.
• If they are outside the United States, sick employees should follow company policy for obtaining medical care or contact a healthcare provider or overseas medical assistance company to help them find an appropriate healthcare provider in that country. A U.S. consular officer can help locate healthcare services. However, U.S. embassies, consulates, and military facilities do not have the legal authority, capability, or resources to evacuate or give medicines, vaccines, or medical care to private U.S. citizens overseas.

Health and Safety of Our Customers

Social Distancing

At Elly’s, we establish policies and practices for social distancing. We’ve altered our workspace to help workers and customers maintain social distancing and physically separate employees from each other and from customers, when possible. Here are some strategies that we try to use:

• Implement flexible worksites.
• Implement flexible work hours (e.g., rotate or stagger shifts to limit the number of employees in the workplace at the same time).
• Increase physical space between employees at the worksite by modifying the workspace. 
• Increase physical space between customers by using signs, floor decals, separating tables 6 feet apart and placing booth dividers on every booth at the restaurant
• Use signs, tape marks, or other visual cues such as decals or colored tape on the floor, placed at least 6 feet apart, to indicate where to stand when physical barriers are not possible.
• Implement flexible meeting and travel options (e.g., postpone in-person non-essential meetings or events in accordance with state and local regulations and guidance).
• Close or limit access to common areas where employees are likely to congregate and interact.
• Prohibit handshaking.
• Deliver services remotely, such as non-contact curbside service and the utilization of third party delivery systems
• Adjust our business practices to reduce close contact with customers
• Place glass dividers behind the cashier to limit contact
• Shift primary stocking activities to off-peak or after hours, when possible, to reduce contact with customers.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Policy

At Elly’s, we are following the CDC cleaning and disinfection recommendations:

• Clean dirty surfaces with soap and water before disinfecting them.
• Always wear gloves and gowns appropriate for the chemicals being used when you are cleaning and disinfecting
• Ensure there is adequate ventilation when using cleaning and disinfection products to prevent from inhaling toxic vapors.
• You may need to wear additional PPE depending on the setting and disinfectant product you are using. For each product you use, consult and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.

Ventilation

At Elly’s, we have improved the engineering controls using the building ventilation system. We have:

• Provided outside dining when the weather and village of Glenview permits it
• Decreased occupancy in areas where outdoor ventilation cannot be increased.
• Ensure ventilation systems operate properly and provide acceptable indoor air quality for the current occupancy level for each space.
• Increase airflow to occupied spaces when possible.
• Turn off any demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) controls that reduce air supply based on occupancy or temperature during occupied hours. 
• Open outdoor air dampers beyond minimum settings to reduce or eliminate HVAC air recirculation. In mild weather, this will not affect thermal comfort or humidity. However, this may be difficult to do in cold, hot, or humid weather.
• Inspect filter housing and racks to ensure appropriate filter fit and check for ways to minimize filter bypass.
  • We Check filters to ensure they are within their service life and appropriately installed.
• Ensure restroom exhaust fans are functional and operating at full capacity when the building is occupied.
• Inspect and maintain local exhaust ventilation in areas such as our kitchen and cooking areas. 
• Placed a fan/filtration systems to help enhance air cleaning
• Generate clean-to-less-clean air movement by re-evaluating the positioning of supply and exhaust air diffusers and/or dampers

Coughing and Sneezing

At Elly’s, we give employees, customers, and visitors what they need to clean their hands and cover their coughs and sneezes. We:

• Provide tissues and no-touch trash cans.
• Provide soap and water in the workplace.We also use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. 
• Ensure that adequate supplies are maintained.
• Place hand sanitizer in every work station in our restaurant to encourage hand hygiene.
• Place posters outside our washroom and at the entrance that encourage hand hygiene to help stop the spread of COVID.
• Discourage handshaking. We encourage employees to use other non-contact methods of greeting.
• Direct employees to visit CDC’s coughing and sneezing etiquette and clean hands webpage for more information.
• Perform routine cleaning and disinfection

• Follow the Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting to develop, implement, and maintain a plan to perform regular cleanings to reduce the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
• Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, computer screens, trays, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs.
  • If surfaces are dirty, we clean them using a detergent or soap and water before you disinfect them.
  • Discourage workers from using each other’s phones, towels, books, pens, or other work tools and equipment, when possible.
• Provide disposable disinfecting wipes so that employees can wipe down commonly used surfaces before each use.
• Store and use disinfectants in a responsible and appropriate manner according to the label.
• Do not mix bleach or other cleaning and disinfection products together. This can cause fumes that may be very dangerous to breathe in.
• Ensure there is adequate ventilation when using cleaning and disinfection products.
• Advise employees to always wear gloves appropriate for the chemicals being used when they are cleaning and disinfecting and that they may need additional PPE based on the setting and product.
• Perform cleaning and disinfection after persons suspected/confirmed to have COVID-19 have been in the facility

• Follow the CDC cleaning and disinfection recommendations.

Elly’s Pancake House of Glenview

1624 Milwaukee Avenue

Glenview, Illinois, 60025

847-635-9500 /info@ellysglenview.com

Elly’s Coronavirus Memo / Policy

 

As global concern about the current COVID-19 outbreak grows, Elly’s Pancake House of Glenview is doing its best to keep everyone healthy and safe in the workplace while also minimizing the disruptions to our day-to-day operations.  During these unprecedented times, our number one priority is the health and safety of our employees and customers. We’re closely monitoring the situation and know that misinformation and fear can spread more virulent than the virus itself, and we want to discourage false information from circulating.  If you’re looking for trusted, up-to-date information, we recommend visiting the specific coronavirus websites of the CDC or the WHO.  We’d like to take a moment to share that ways we can all help keep the workplace safe, as well as the procedures we’ve implemented during these times:  

1. Stay home if you are sick. If you are experiencing symptoms of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), including fever (100.4 degrees or above), cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, chest tightness, extreme fatigue, loss of sense of taste or smell, diarrhea, muscle aches, or headaches – please stay home and call your doctor.
2. Stay home if you’ve had contact with a potentially infected person. The virus spreads easily from person to person.  Please stay home until you’ve been tested if you’ve had contact with a confirmed case or potentially infected person.  This includes people returning from high risk countries.
3. Refresh yourself on proper cough and sneeze hygiene. Cover your nose or mouth with a tissue or your elbow – not your hand.  Discard the tissue and wash your hands immediately afterwards.
4. Wash your hands regularly. Frequent and proper handwashing is extremely vital to prevent the transmission of the virus.  Wash your hands after using the restroom, touching your face, eating, drinking, coughing, or sneezing, and at regular intervals throughout the day.  Use warm water or as hot as you can tolerate. Add soap and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.  In addition, using hand sanitizer (with at least 60 percent alcohol) and sanitizing products regularly can help prevent the transmission of the virus.
5. Stop touching your face. Fomites – objects that we commonly touch are the main way disease is spreading.  Reduce the chance of transmission from a fomite by keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth when you touch or are in contact with a fomite.  Regularly clean high-touch surfaces including doorknobs, light switches, shared equipment, toilet handles, sink faucets, POS terminals, etc.
6. Rely on virtual communication when possible. In an effort to cut down on human-to-human contact, please cancel in-person meetings and communicate via videoconferencing or phone calls.

The measures we’re taking at Elly’s Pancake House of Glenview are:

1. Ensuring ample hand sanitizer and sanitizing products for all employees and customers. Sanitizer is provided at each of our workstations.
2. Increasing the times we clean all high-touch surfaces, including door handles, light switches, shared equipment, toilet handles, sink faucets, POS terminals, phones, etc.
3. Encouraging rigorous, hourly hand washing routines for 20 seconds or longer.
4. Providing masks to employees, especially when it is not possible to maintain at least 6 feet of space between you and another person.
5. Utilizing floor decals to make 6-foot spacing for employees and customers to maintain appropriate distance from one another.
6. Requiring use of gloves by food prep and service area employees.
7. Using disposable items for food service, such as ketchup packets, salt n pepper shakers, jellies, hot sauce, butter, etc.
8. Providing non-contact curbside pickup.
9. Providing non-contact delivery.
10. Providing non-contact catering.

Please reach out directly via phone or email with any questions or concerns. Thanks for your continued support during this uncertain time. Manager Ted Tsekouras