As we make further preparations to reopen Sarana in its new incarnation, we are sharing some of the new policies and safety procedures you can expect when you return for your acupuncture treatments.We discussed our mask policy in our last post, and in this post we address physical distancing and reducing shared surface contact.
Physical distancing, also called “social distancing,” means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home to help reduce virus transmission.
The general CDC recommendationsfor physical (or social) distancing include:
Staying at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people
Not gathering in groups
Avoiding crowded places and mass gatherings
To support physical distancing in the clinic, we plan to:
Reduce the number of seats in our waiting area and not permit companions without an appointment to wait in the clinic
Permit only one client in our waiting area at a time (unless people who live together have back-to-back appointments)
Install a plexiglass shield at our front desk
Reduce the number of recliners/tables in our treatment room to maintain at least 6 foot spacing
Have fewer appointment available per hour and limit each acupuncture session to 1 hour
Not allow walk-ins
While coronavirus is spread primarily through person-to-person contact and respiratory droplets, there is some risk of transmission through hands touching shared surfaces. Our safety plan at Sarana includes reducing the number of high-touch surfaces, routinely sanitizing the remaining ones, and frequent hand-sanitizing. Some of the safety measures we are planning are to:
Photo by Jason Jarrach on Unsplash
Require everyone to sanitize their hands as soon as they arrive at Sarana and encourage frequent hand-washing
Make hand sanitizer available throughout the clinic ad add another hand-washing area
Install new wipe-able covers for recliners and tables and sanitize them after each client’s treatment
Eliminate self-serve items in the clinic: our water/tea station will be closed, and blankets, ear plugs, cough drops, etc. will be provided by request only
Clean/sanitize commonly-touched surfaces such as doorknobs, faucet handles, etc. frequently throughout the day using an EPA-registered disinfectant
Provide more options for contactless treatment payments
Encourage everyone to bring minimal belongings to their appointments
Once we have a firm reopening date, we will send our new safety policies to everyone via email. Safety policies will also be posted in the clinic and on our website.
When we reopen, we will rely on your support and cooperation in following the new policies. Please help us adjust to new routines to keep the clinic safe for all.
