As your company adjusts to the novel coronavirus pandemic, it's hard to strike a balance between staying in business and keeping everyone safe. While you need to make enough money to support your family, your priority must be your employees' and customers' safety. Even though you notice people becoming sick of safety regulations, continue to follow these guidelines.

1. Sanitize Your Workspace Heavily

Before the pandemic began, you probably never thought about wiping down cash registers in between cashiers or washing the bathroom after each use. Unfortunately, those easy days are gone for now. You must remain vigilant about sanitizing every high-use surface, such as doorknobs, cabinet handles, and keyboards, throughout the workday. Use alcohol-or bleach-based wipes and toilet bowl cleaner to take care of hourly cleanings, and ask a professional service such as MGS Supply and Services to perform regular sanitizations after hours. Depending on the size of your workplace, assign each employee an area to clean every hour, or have everyone take a day to do all the cleaning.

2. Enforce Good Mask-Wearing Habits

At the beginning of the pandemic, it was difficult to find face masks unless you or a loved one could sew. Now, though, masks are readily available, and there is no excuse for going into a building without one. Most people are used to mask-wearing mandates, but they try still try to get around regulations. Watch out for people whose noses stick out of their masks or who have folded their masks so that their chins are exposed. Both of these habits negate the purpose of wearing a mask. Station an employee near your entrance to remind people about mask-wearing protocols, and have all your employees ask customers to leave if they will not wear their facial coverings.

3. Hold Meetings Virtually

You and your employees need to maintain social distancing and avoid congregating in your staff room. This means that most of your meetings need to be virtual, even if it's just between you and another person. Use videoconferencing software such as Google Meet or Zoom to schedule and hold your meetings. While it's annoying to meet online, you're more likely to keep your meetings short and to the point, saving you time and improving your employees' morale.

4. Watch Your Area's Statistics

The pandemic is constantly changing. Even if your area has a low caseload this week, there's no guaranteeing what it will be like in a few days. Keep an eye on your region's positivity and hospitalization rates at all times. Know your state's thresholds for returning to stay-at-home orders or reopening so that a change in your area's phase doesn't catch you by surprise.

These regulations are annoying, and at this point, you're so exhausted and stressed that you just want to give up. However, if you want to stay in business during the pandemic, you need to maintain high standards. That way, you can support your family without the guilt of putting them and your employees at risk.