Industry-Specific Resources
Hotel and Lodging
- Safe Stay Initiative by the American Hotel & Lodging Association - Industry-wide hotel cleaning standards, toolkit, guidelines, and resources. Download the entire guidelines here.
- Q&A from the American Hotel & Lodging Association by Cozen O'Connor - Questions and answers for the hotel industry for planning and return to occupancy.
- Hospitality for Hope Initiative by the American Hotel & Lodging Association - View the collaboration between the hotel industry and the local, state, and federal governments. Also, on this page is a Hospital Conversion Playbook for hoteliers.
- Hotel Emergency Toolkit by The Growth Works - Use this hotel emergency toolkit to better navigate the crisis and look for ways to support your local community, develop team members, and ultimately prepare for recovery.
- Comprehensive Collection of Hotel Reopening Guidelines from Sarah Buchbinder - A list of reopening protocols from hotel brands across the US.
Restaurants
- Next Steps: Planning for Reopening by the National Restaurant Association - Next steps for preparing your restaurant for reopening.
- The Alabama Restaurant Promise by the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association - Guidelines and precautions specific to restaurants operating in Alabama.
- Best Practices Retail Food Stores & Restaurants by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration - Healthy best practices for restaurants and employees.
- Pandemic Relaunch Toolkit for Restaurants + Bars from Streetsense
Attractions
-
Reopening Guidance: Considerations for the Attractions Industry by the Global Association for the Attractions Industry
Golf Courses
- Park & Play Program by NGCOA - Review coronavirus protocols for open golf courses.
Farmers Markets
- Consumer Guide to Buying from Local Farmers by Purdue University - How to engage with your local farmers/farmers markets amid the pandemic.
State and Local Government Resources
- COVID-19 Resources from the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
- Guidance for Safeguarding All Workplaces from the Alabama Department of Public Health - Guidance for employers during the COVID-19 response.
- Mental Health Resources from the Alabama Department of Mental Health - Mental health support for the state of Alabama and communities around the world.
Planning to Reopen: Best Practices
How can you protect yourself, your employees, and your customers?
- Develop a Written Plan
- Writing a plan can show that you have thought through risks in advance. A plan can also convey that you care about your customers, staff, and others.
- Follow Your Plan
- Make sure once a plan is developed, that it is implemented and executed. Friendly visual and verbal reminders will be crucial to maintaining new guidelines put into place.
- Communicate the plan to your employees
- Meet with your staff and talk about the new procedures
- Explain the importance of the new procedures
- Allow staff to ask questions to make sure they understand it fully
- Rehearse proper cleaning techniques with staff members
- Communicate what you’re doing to prepare for reopening to customers. This can go a long way in reassuring them that it is safe to return.
- Use your social media or email newsletters to show what you’re doing (videos of you or staff cleaning; show photos of staff wearing Personal Protective Equipment
- Develop signage to reinforce the new rules – this will remind customers as well as employees
Crucial Elements of a Written Plan
The Office of Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Control teamed to prepare a document to help workplaces prepare. This document includes detailed information about how to:
- Prepare an Infectious Disease Preparedness Response Plan
- Prepare to Implement Basic Infection Prevention Measures
- Develop, Implement, and Communicate about Workplace Flexibility and Protections and
- Implement Workplace Controls
Click Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 to review or download the full document.
Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus
General information about the spread of the virus is below.
- Coronavirus Information from the CDC by Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Overall Coronavirus information brought to you by the CDC.
- How COVID-19 Spreads by Center for Disease Control and Prevention - How to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by the CDC.
- CDC Handwashing Posters by Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Posters you can print out for your place of business to promote clean hygiene.
- Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation by Center for Disease Control and Prevention - National rules and guidelines for safe social distancing.
- Personal Protective Equipment Guidelines by Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Personal protective equipment guidelines to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
- Coronavirus and Travel in the United States by Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Learn about essential travel and travel recommendations within the U.S.
- Support for States, Tribes, Localities, and Territories by Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Key resources to get and keep your community open for business.
